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Art Mystery of the Moment II

July 28, 2015

Some of my Facebook followers enjoy a good artwork mystery, so I have officially made Art Mystery of the Moment a regular part of the blog. When a moment arises, I will share a piece of art that has simply left the RoofTop Antiques crew bewildered. You can find our previous mystery here. Our state of wonder usually finds its origin in the bottom corner, where lies the signature. This time, we can read the carefully painted letters. The question: who is Eli Andersen? And what is going on in this painting?
Eli Andersen Painting

 

This piece. Oh, this piece.

 

This oil on canvas painting has been sitting in the boss' office for a couple of years now. He had it propped against the wall next to his desk. Anytime we had meetings in his office, I found myself giving it a nervous sideways glance. It was always looking right back at me. 

 

There are many notable quirks hidden in this curious scene. Who are the three main subjects? Do they seem out of place in this establishment? Does one woman actually have a napkin on her head? And why are they looking at me like that?
Eli Anderson painting subjects 
Note the large bug flying above the pitcher of beverage. 
Eli Andersen painting quirks
As well as bugs on the table, feasting on some crumbs. 
Eli Andersen Painting Quirks
Who are these men in the background? Why are they dressed so much differently than the subjects in the foreground? Is it just me, or do they look like they are having a secret meeting of some sort? 
Background subjects in Eli Andersen painting
Oh, and the cat.
 
Quirky cat in Eli Andersen painting
In the bottom right hand corner we find the artist's signature. Eli Andersen. There is also the possibility that it reads "Anderson". 
Signature of Eli Andersen
We have performed countless searches for "Eli Anderson painting" and "Eli Anderson oil on canvas" to no avail. I did find one painter named Eli Andersen who modeled his work after artist Otto Bache, but have no way of making a connection between this painting and that Eli Andersen.  That Eli Anderson seems to have been located in Denmark. There were no pictures of paintings provided by the website, and the possibility of more information was only provided if I signed up for a subscription. No, thank you. 

 

What do you think? Do you see any clues that I am missing? Jump over to our Facebook page to share your thoughts, or feel free to comment below! 

Writer's Note: The best thing about this mystery? I actually found the answer. Or, at the very least, a partial answer. Just an hour subsequent to the posting of this blog, I discovered the story behind this curious painting.You can find the answer here

You're welcome.    

 





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