Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
|
Caption |
"End of a Classic Era" |
Description |
Framed press proof of the print "The End of a Classic Era" painted by Minnesota wildlife artist Les C. Kouba. Kouba tells a humorous story in this illustration of a successful waterfowl hunt at a lake hunting shack. The final print in the American Classic Series is rich in his unique sense of humor. Signed at lower right corner. Wood frame; glass. One of the hunters has accidentally gotten wet, and his red long johns are drying out on the clothesline by the "privy". As Kouba tells it, "The hunter is getting dry on the outside, but he is getting wet on the inside", courtesy of the Schmidt Beer on the porch. Kouba won a national advertising award for work commissioned by Schmidt. The license plate on the car is Kouba's lifelong home address with his birth date below. The Coca-Cola sign is part of the Kouba legacy,and the lefse on the roof is in humorous deference to his Scandinavian friends-"you can even patch a roof with lefse" according to a favorite song. The hastily constructed hunting shack is typically left unfinished. When we peruse the old family photograph albums of the 1920s, we find the "in thing" was to proudly adorn the family touring car with trophies of the hunt and then take a picture. Hence the Kodak and film are ready on the boat at right, and the photographer will shortly make his best effort. The 1925 Model T Ford is owned by Richard and Sharon Young of Michigan, North Dakota. They graciously assisted in the photographic research necessary for the painting. The American Classics Series is a portrait of remembrances seen through the eyes of an impressionable farm boy now recalled after a lifetime as an artist. The series shares the artist's vision in an eloquent tribute to the spirit and integrity of a dedicated, self-reliant people and their courageous heritage. [The Legacy of Les C. Kouba] |
Catalog Number |
1989-0105-011 |
Search Terms |
Kouba prints Artists "The End of a Classic Era" (Print) Hunting Wildlife art |
Subjects |
Prints Artists' proofs Artists Hunting |
People |
Kouba, Leslie Carl |