An Elephant’s Eye
Awarded the “Oscar” at the show (first place), the juror described the painting with these words:
“The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye” – these words from the musical Oklahoma! are often quoted even by those not familiar with musical theatre. The simile becomes literal in this wonderful animal portrait of this gentle giant. A clever tribute which balances the grandeur of the beautiful beast and his intent eyes, with the light hearted message of the song. There is something poignant in the face of the elephant and yet there is whimsey too. The beautifully rendered elephant speaks to our compassion and his chirping friends sing a joyful tune.”
Patricia Hutton, owner of Patricia Hutton Gallery, Doylestown, Pennsylvania
According to a 1944 interview with Hammerstein in Life magazine, Oscar revised the line from “the corn is as high as a cow pony’s eye” to “the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye” in order to emphasize the height of the corn he saw at Highland Farm:
However, the corn seemed to stand taller than a cow pony’s eye, yet not so tall as a giraffe. Hammerstein finally settled on an elephant. His impulse was to go out and measure the corn with a tape measure and check with the Philadelphia Zoo on the dimensions of the average elephant, but he decided that this would be running it into the ground.
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- oil on linen, 18″ x 24″
- original art SOLD
