by Franklin Carmichael?
MAIN PAGE ⎔ SECTION PAGE ⎔ SITE MAP ⎔ GLOSSARY
ART OF THE LOBBY BACK HALL
BEAVER SWAMP ⎔ BOG OAK ⎔ DECEMBER AFTERNOON ⎔ MAKAH RETURNING IN THEIR WAR CANOES ⎔ MALIGNE LAKE, JASPER PARK ⎔ MIST FANTASY, SAND RIVER, ALGOMA ⎔ MYSTERIES (CARMICHAEL, MONAHAN) ⎔ OXBOROUGH ⎔ PLOVERS ⎔ RED MAPLE
APPEARANCE
Seen only once in the lobby’s eastern access halls at 80:48-80:59, as Jack stalks to the ghost ball. It’s almost in tandem with its appearance that we start to hear Jack Hylton’s Masquerade.
IDENTITY
There’s a very Franklin Carmichael-style bay of islands landscape with two dog head portraits to either side.
SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE
The Alsatian later appears in the 2nd entrance, to the left side of what I call the waverug. I’ve had no luck IDing the artist, but they are similar to the work of Robert Abbett, and the dogs are a German Shepherd/Alsatian (left), and a Brittany Spaniel (right). I should also note that when Wendy sees the GREAT PARTY ghost, all three paintings (along with Red Maple) have disappeared, but not the other visible ones. As discussed in the mirrorform section, I believe this to be proof of GREAT PARTY ghost actually being Charles Grady. The Franklin refers to the murdered Grady mother, and the Roberts refer to the daughters.
The other subtext at play here is that both of these dogs were named for different parts of France (German Shepherds are also known as Alsatians, because, during war time, no one wanted the association of their beloved dog with the invading country). In fact Brittany’s on the far northwest side, and Alsace is on the far northeast side, which would make it seem like these portraits are hung backwards, but close study of the film will reveal this wall to be at the hotel’s southernmost wall, so the Brittany is on the west side within the movie. As for what is almost certainly a Franklin Carmichael (or someone deeply influenced by his style), Franklin is a name closely connected to Frank, which ultimately means “a Frenchman”. All these names tie back to Francia, the kingdom that originally made up France and Germany. So, if Grady’s murder of his family is meant to tie to WWII at all, it would seem apt that they would be represented in the film by vanishing “French” art.
There’s also the neat bit where the dogs breeds (Brittany and Alsace) sound like girl’s names (Brittney and Alice?), so perhaps if we knew the name of the location in the Carmichael, we would get a sense of Grady’s wife’s name.
And in case you’re reading this page out of order, I’ve theorized that there’s another, twin collective of paintings in the hotel which could refer to the fake Grady twins and their mother. The mother painting in that collection is also painted by a Franklyn.
MIRROFORM SIGNIFICANCE
During this moment, opposite side Jack is saying, “Oh god…I must be losing my mind…” after confessing his murder dream to Wendy. And ghost ball Jack obscures the painting with his body as he moves up the hall, so I’m curious to see if these items will connect to a notion of insanity.
TOWER OF FABLE SIGNIFICANCE
These items appear in a hall that was redressed to be the bloodfall hall on a later day of shooting, which means that these paintings appear in the same spot as the bloodfall elevators are later. So I’m guessing that whatever the region in the landscape turns out to be, it’ll have something to do with either war or flooding.
Next art reference: Mysteries of the Lobby Back Hall
MAIN PAGE ⎔ SECTION PAGE ⎔ SITE MAP ⎔ GLOSSARY
OTHER MAIN PAGES FOR SHINING ANALYSIS
THE MIRRORFORM ⎔ THE BEATLES ⎔ THE RUM AND THE RED
BACKGROUND ART ⎔ OVERLOOK PHOTOGRAPHS ⎔ GOLDEN SPIRALS
PHI GRIDS ⎔ PATTERNS ⎔ VIOLENCE AND INDIGENA ⎔ ABSURDITIES
THE STORY ROOM ⎔ ANIMAL SYMBOLS ⎔ THE ANNOTATED SHINING
EYE SCREAM 