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  | J.D. CHALFANT (1856-1931) The precision of Chalfant's drawings is nearly surreal, arresting the eye in an almost hypnotic way. Chalfant is one of the great neglected masters of American art. |
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| J.D. CHALFANT (1856-1931) The precision of Chalfant's drawings is nearly surreal, arresting the eye in an almost hypnotic way. Chalfant is one of the great neglected masters of American art. |
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HALFANT began his artistic career as a painter of trompe l'oeil still-lifes. Although only about a dozen of these are known, they mark Chalfant, in the opinion of the present writer, as the finest follower of William Michael Harnett. Silvery in atmosphere and monochromatic in palette, Chalfant's still lifes (such as his Violin and Bow in the Metropolitan Museum of Art) have a magical quality all their own and thrill the senses quite beyond the work of Harnett.