ChArLeS LoCkE

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Charles Locke was born in 1899 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Locke began studying art at a young age, and had many pupils who became successful artists as well. A great deal of his work had an urban genre, depicting bar scenes and many different portraits. Although drawing was his specialty, Locke also worked in illustration, etching, lithography, and teaching drawing. He died in New York in 1983, but was very well known, even during his lifetime.

The reason Locke’s works caught my eye was because there seemed to be a common trend that he followed, capturing people in their everyday lives, whether they be eating, thinking, shopping, or working. The one that I really like was “A la Carte,” which depicted a man at a restaurant. He is sitting by himself and has a bowl of soup, a piece of bread and a glass of wine. The table seems very small, almost too small. He is in the corner of the room, almost secluded. From this image, I would assume this is a man who is comfortable going to eat by himself, and maybe he does this regularly.

The seat across from him remains empty, but he is too focused on what he is reading to even seem to notice. He has an intense look on his face as he reads whatever it is he is reading. Locke seems to have a very soft style to his work. There are a few harsh lines, but they do not overwhelm the work. This softness, I believe, adds to the comfortableness of the image. Although this looks to be a small space with a small table and a man who is eating by himself, Locke is able to make the viewer feel comfortable, which is a great accomplishment.

I like that Locke chose simple things to portray in his work, but he still kept them exquisite. Even this simple portrayal of a man eating alone in a restaurant leaves the viewers imagination and interpretation of the work open.