Puzzling Poultry Painting

I picked up this small oil at a church rummage sale because, of course. Chickens and all that. Paid $20. For those of you unaware, hubby and I own a property that once was a chicken research facility owned by Quaker Oats. Chickens have a way of migrating into my life. Of course, chickens don’t actually migrate, or fly for that matter, mainly due to the breeding for meat, making them aerodynamically land-based. But the painting was a bit of a puzzle none the less.

Research on the internet did not turn up much. There is little information about the artist, other than multiple paintings of chickens, all signed, as this one is, “Borofsky”. One eBay listing says “Borofsky specializes in barnyard scenes”. Well yes, but why exactly? Or when? No first name or dates to help identify location, era or history.

These particular chickens have me puzzled. The artist has a very “old masters” style, particularly with regard to the background scenery which is done in high detail. The sheaves of wheat tied up and leaning against the barn. The chickens, rendered such that they seem to be actual birds being depicted, not stylized images. The lovely muted color pallet. The frame, too, appears rather old – wood, likely walnut, with deep grains and a rich “old masters” color. But how old is the darn thing? And where, exactly, are we?

As I purchased the work in Winnetka, IL, it is possible it could be from Europe, and could be old. Winnetka is a wealthy Chicago suburb, with estates dating back to the 1850s. With a median income over $250k, the town is the second wealthiest in Illinois, losing out to its neighbor Kenilworth for first place. Thus, treasures found at this annual church sale tend to be remarkable. I scored an incredible, very large hand-woven Turkish rug at one of these sales for $75. Unfortunately, that treasure reeked of cat urine, and needed to be professionally cleaned as I was unable to make a dent on the stains (or smell). The large Arabic man that came to pick it up was wowed by the numerous hand-woven carpets in our home. I had two remarkable – though damaged – small prayer rugs that he was also agog over. Since he had a crew to repair those pieces, we swapped his work on the Turkish rug for the two child-sized prayer rugs. While I suspect he made out quite well, I was glad the rugs I had stored for 20 years unused would be repaired and likely admired. And I got a fabulous Turkish rug cleaned and repaired for free!

Back to my mystery rummage sale chickens. Since hubby jokes that I have a bit of a “triangle” fetish, I have to point out the triangles at work in the piece. The sheaves of wheat, leading down to the crown of the rooster and on to his tail builds one side of a triangle. The placid hen, pecking on the ground, mimics the angle of the sheaves, and creates the second side. The little chicks, aligned with the sheaves’ angle as well as the rooster’s feet anchor the bottom of the triangle. The landscape also offers triangles – the trees, the greenery and the clouds all have triangular forms scattered about, mimicking the chicken triangle that is front and center. A well-executed painting with classic structures incorporated into its design.

Now that you are sick of my fascination with triangles, I confess I think the piece is American. As well as likely turn of the 19th century. Why? The landscape feels more American than European, with the endless open land and uncultivated fields. European spaces are much more dense, having been cultivated for much longer, and they tend to be very proud of their architecture, while this piece hardly gives the building a second glance. Additionally, “Borofsky” is a name that screams “immigrant” to me. Research says the name is Jewish, denoting someone from Polish areas with a “bor” or pine forest.

Over 2.2 million people of Polish heritage immigrated to the United States between 1870 and 1914, due to famine and socio-political issues in Europe. This included my husband’s family, Jaworskis and Matlokowskis, who immigrated through Ellis Island sometime around the early 1900s. His parents were born in the U.S., as first generation Americans, in the early 1920s. Most Polish immigrants were Catholic, as were my hubby’s relatives. Only about 5% of those immigrants were Jewish, including our artist friend Borofsky. I am completely spinning a tale here, but I suspect Mr. Borowsky (and I do think it was a Mr. not a Miss) trained as an artist in Europe. Immigrated to the United States at the turn of the 19th century, and landed in New York or New Jersey as many did, including hubby’s family. Hubby’s family all worked as uneducated dock workers on the water in Long Island, suffering a great deal of discrimination. Mr. Borowsky, I suspect, took up his paint brush and created images of farm life in the country he adopted. I hope for his sake his religion and his skill offered him comfort and a living. And, with a bit of creative license, I will say my puzzling poultry was painted by a polish immigrant, pursuing a better life in our country. Happy 4th all, please recognize we’re all in this together.