Legacy Project
Do you own a painting or drawing by John Court that is not yet displayed in the galleries on this website? We would be grateful if you would please send a photo and description to archives@johncourt.com.
Doing so will help validate the provenance of the work you own should you ever want to have it appraised. It will also add to the record of Court’s body of work, providing an additional frame of reference for each piece individually and adding more tiles to the mosaic of Court’s body of work as a whole.
As his biography notes, Court’s professional career began in earnest after he finished his graduate work in 1972. He has produced dozens of works per year ever since. So, his full body of work could include more than 1,000 pieces. We aren’t sure exactly how many, however, because he hasn’t kept detailed records.
This is where you come in. If you are an experienced photographer with a high-end digital camera, great. But even if you aren’t, many phones these days have excellent cameras that can take surprisingly high-quality photos of artwork. So, our goal is to take advantage of the technology most people have close at hand to “crowdsource” an archival gallery of as many of Court’s works as we can find for the benefit of the artist, those who own and admire his work, and the eventual historical record of contemporary American art.
Photography Tips
The best light to photograph a work of art is usually indirect natural light that is evenly diffused from both sides. But artificial light from “daylight” bulbs also can work well if you position two lights at 45-degree angles (one on each side).
Position your camera squarely in front of the painting or drawing at a distance that fills your viewfinder to the greatest extent possible without zooming in or out.
The goal is to take the photograph in full light while avoiding glare. If your lighting source is such that you are forced to choose between a perfectly centered composition with glare and a slightly less than perfectly centered composition without glare, go with the latter: Keep your camera as close to centered as possible, but try tilting it slightly to avoid reflected light.
If you have a tripod, use it. (Those phone holders many people have on their cars’ dashboards often attach to tripods.)
Do the best you can, but don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. We would much rather have a record of the work(s) you own than not!
Information to Send With Your Photo(s)
Essential details for a caption are as follows:
“[Subject],” [Year], [Medium], H” x W” (H x W cm). [Owner].
A few notes:
Subject: For portraits, what is subject’s name? (If the owner would prefer that the subject not be named online, then initials or an appropriate nickname will suffice.) For landscapes, what is the location of the scene? For example, what is the name of a river, bay, or park in the scene?
Year: To the best of your knowledge, when was the piece painted or drawn? If you don’t know, then what year did you acquire it? If you aren’t exactly sure, then what is your best guess? (We can note it as “circa.”)
Medium: Don’t worry, we’ll know this one when we see your photo. (In most cases, it will be “oil on canvas” or “charcoal on paper.”)
Dimensions: Measure the dimensions of the stretcher or paper, not the frame. Please specify inches or centimeters. (Either is fine. We can convert.)
Owner: The person’s or family’s name.
Other details relevant to you: How did you come to own the piece? What makes it meaningful to you or your family? Etc.
Please send your photos to: archives@johncourt.com.
Thank you!
