Pansies
Artist
Charles Demuth
(American, 1883-1935)
CultureAmerican
Date1915
MediumWatercolor and graphite on paper
DimensionsOverall: 10 5/8 x 7 7/8 in. (27 x 20 cm)
InscribedSigned and dated lower left: C. Demuth, 1915
Credit LineAnonymous Donor
Object number80.225
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionThis is a watercolor and graphite on paper painting of pale pink and mauve pansies. In this watercolor, the background and foreground receive equal emphasis. The composition is an edge-to-edge web of pansies, with washes of varying intensity in purples, greens, yellows and pinks.Label TextCharles Demuth American, 1883–1935 Pansies, 1915 Watercolor and graphite on paper In Pansies, Charles Demuth employs a variety of watercolor techniques. He mixed two colors into each other on the paper using a technique known as wet-on-wet. The artist also used a cloth or sponge to soak up watercolor paint that had been applied to the page to create softer or more subtle colors, known as blotting. While rooted in the study of nature, Demuth reveals a radically modern vision of his subject, made possible by the boundless capabilities of the watercolor medium. Gift of an anonymous donor 80.225 ProvenanceC. W. Kraushaar Art Galleries, New York, 1937; Private collections, New York, 1937-1980; Gift of an Anonymous Donor to The Chrysler Museum, 1980. Exhibition HistoryFloral Still Lifes, Daniel Gallery, New York, N.Y., 1915. "Demuth Memorial Exhibition," Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, N.Y., December 15, 1937 - January 16, 1938. (Exh. cat. no. 9) "Charles Demuth," Museum of Modern Art, New York, N.Y., March 8 - June 11, 1950. (Exh. cat. no. 24) "Recent Accessions," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., December 1980. "Watercolor: An American Medium," Photography Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, February 21 - June 23, 2019. Published References_Charles Demuth Memorial Exhibition_, exh. cat., Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, N.Y., 1937, no. 9. Andrew Carnduff Ritchie, _Charles Demuth_, exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art, New York, N.Y., 1950, 25, no. 24. Thomas W. Styron, "American Paintings," _The Chrysler Museum Bulletin_ 10, no. 12 (December 1980): not paged. Martha N. Hagood and Jefferson C. Harrison, _American Art at the Chrysler Museum: Selected Paintings, Sculpture, and Drawings_ (Norfolk, Va.: Chrysler Museum of Art, 2005), 156, no. 97. ISBN: 0-940744-71-6
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