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San Francisco Market Street ca1941

This was Market Street in 1941 just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. I created it with a single frame from a talented home movie cinematographer by the name of John H Summers and more than 140 photographs from the San Francisco Public Library and my home movies from a trip we took to California in 1957. It is not the way it actually was, but rather the way my mind's eye perceived and remembered it. The proportions in the painting are completely different than any image resource I used. I have often stated in lectures and demonstrations something I realized in 1984. That is the mind perfects what the eye sees. The most notable difference from any of my photo resources that I used is that the Ferry Terminal Tower is about two stories higher than in any of the resource photos I used. The painting is proportioned as if it were viewed through a telephoto lens. This gives the scene a friendlier more inviting quality than if it were seen through a wide angle lens. A wide angle lens will obscure detail and the reduces the detail the brain receives making it much more difficult for the viewer to orient himself and get a sense of place. What the observer sees in this painting is the image that would be remembered had he or she stood at the vantage point, walked away from the scene and thought back to that observed moment in time in the mind's eye. I accomplished this by doing a free hand sketch and drew it as I unraveled the elements of this immensely complex scene and saw it develop as a natural extension of my observations of all the various images I used of San Francisco's Market Street as it looked in 1941, right down to the movies playing at the theaters. For those of you who expressed an interest in seeing the completed painting, I hope it was worth the wait.

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Gail Caduff-Nash 16 Mar 2012

I'm so impressed by your level of skill and PATIENCE! And in watercolor, not the easiest medium around. Fantastic to see a modern day artist do this kind of work. Thanks!

Joanie Holliday 02 Aug 2011

What beautiful work you do Stanton.. I choose this one because as I looked through your portfolio, this one jumped out at me "because" I once had a dream and here is exactly were I was standing.. Da ja vo.. I was in San. Cal. once to visit my brother who was in dry docked in the Navy.. on the USS Ranger.. Joanie Holliday

Artist Reply: Thanks Joanie, This was the last full size 30" x 40" watercolor I did. It took nine months, and had a ton of fun doing it. The research was what made this work exceptionally enjoyable. I made sure that every movie depicted in this painting was showing in 1941. What I think I did successfully with this work was to nail the colors of that era. I also made the Ferry Terminal Building a little larger in proportion to the rest of the buildings to increase a sense of intimacy. This whole painting was developed from a 9" x 12" freehand pencil sketch I executed from the original frame of the Summers film.

pa fredrik 23 Mar 2009

good water color

Claire Wilson 23 Mar 2009

Your street scenes are absolutely brilliant, and specially the wording on the street signs - so precise and accurate...I know all too well how difficult that can truly be...brilliant work as always Stanton - I am one of your Biggest Fans!

Anonymous Guest 24 Dec 2008

I lived in SF back in 1956-62 and it sure as heck remindes me of when I was there! Fantastic work!!!

Artist Reply: Thank you for your kind remarks. This was a really difficult work to complete because of all of the subtle changed in the elevation of what is seemingly a flat stretch of roadway. I was fortunate to have all sorts of resource photos available for this work, including color movies of a ride down Market Street. This was one of the most satisfying paintings I have ever completed because the scene had so many compexities and challenges.