Peoplescapes

Trees were a constant source of inspiration for my mother. She especially loved them in the winter when she would see forms emerge from the bare branches. to illustrate, see the sketch below, done on an envelope. From sketches like these she developed a style which she called, "Peoplescapes".




Inspired by a poem from her childhood by William Allingham called Little Men, “Up the airy mountain, down the rushy glen, we daren’t go a-hunting for fear of little men" she painted a winter woodland scene with elfin figures concealed in the landscape. This painting started Janice in a whole new direction. That first painting, from the early sixties, was sold and we have no image of it, but we do have the one below which incoporates a reclining nude into the woodland scene. She titled it, " Gone to the Dogs"


Continuing in that vein, and again inspired by literature, in this case, Robert Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, she painted a scene of a carriage stopped by a wood with the face of Robert Frost gazing out from the trees (1963). This painting was entered in a competetion and did not win, but caused such a sensation, that it was purchased by the bank that sponsored the show, Manhattan Savings Bank and displayed at their office in Manhattan. In the photograph below, the bank president, Denton K. Willard stands by the painting.



I think of my mother as having strong convictions, but I do not ever remember her ever getting into a heated political discussion. She tended to keep her opinions to herself. Yet, in retrospect, I look at these paintings from the 1960's and see how deeply she was affected by the turmoil of our society, from the civil rights movement, to the anti war protests. She began to incorporate these themes into her Peoplescapes. Below, is "King" showing the face of Martin Luther King, with scenes of the civil rights movement surrounding him.


"King" was selected and purchased by the town of Greenburg Housing Authority in 1968. The artist, Miriam Begg, in the center below, with the Arts and Culture comittee, was a friend of my mother's. The painting was to be displayed in a community room there.

Another painting with Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln looking on from the upper left corner.

These Peoplescapes created quite a stir. Many were sold, and I have snapshots of only a few of them. Of others, I have the name she gave the painting, but no image of it. From Janice's records I know that the first peoplescape, "Hunting Season" was sold to a Mal Klein. Marilyn Pegler was captivated by them, and purchased several, "Afghans", "Southern Mansion", "Cherry Orchard""Demolition", "Balcony III", and "Reverie". Another customer named Copeland purchased "Critic" and "Pax", shown below.

"Pax" showed protesting flower children and a helmeted soldier in the lower right corner.

In black and white, different elements come to the fore.

Above, "The Critic".

One woman bought a Peoplescape thinking she was purchsing a conventional landscape, and returned the painting, complaining, "There are PEOPLE hiding in there!"

Below, "The Gap". I believe the stooped figure was inspired by a photo of LBJ. He is weighed down by the many figures surrounding him. In particular, one young woman protesting at the center.

This painting, above, of a woman and her dog was named, "Fun City" and inspired by NYC mayor John Lindsay and his conflicts with the department of sanitation. That is Lindsay's face looking out from the background.

There were others. One called "Muir Woods", featured the head of the naturalist looking out from the depths of a Redwood forest. Of some, I have only a name, "Subway", "The Song", "Regret", "Fear", "Motor Vehicle Bureau", "Women's Lib", "Ghetto", "Identity". We may just have to imagine what my mother's mind would have conjured up.

Above, the announcement Janice created for her show at the Mari Gallery in Larchmont.

An unknown peoplescape

Upraised hands seem to be reaching out for mercy in this painting below. I do not know the name. Perhaps this is "Ghetto"

This seems to be set in the pre Civil War south. Could it be "Southern Mansion"?

Janice went with a friend to sketch an old house in Hastings, NY which was slated for demolition. She must have picked up the "vibes" of previous occupants. The result was the painting below.


Yet another.

Here we seem to have a religious theme.

Another unknown Peoplescape, below.

The subject below is more light hearted. It shows Hans Christian Andersen, reading to a young audience, with the characters of his stories hidden in the trees.



As the Peoplescapes grew in popularity, she was comissioned to do family portraits in the Peoplescape style. Below family members, their suburban house, and tall city buildings. I would guess that there was an architect or developer in the family.


Below, another comission. I believe the subject owned a chemical company with refineries and a high rise building as depicted here.

And again, a family commission, with faces surrounding a pond.