Artwork Page for Study of a Plant, Possibly Thistle

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Study of a Plant, Possibly Thistle

1862

Léon Bonvin

(French, 1834–1866)
Culture
France, 19th century
Medium
Watercolor and pen and brown ink with white heightening
Support
Wove? paper, laid down on blue wove? paper
Measurements
Sheet: 25.3 x 29.5 cm (9 15/16 x 11 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 25.3 x 29.5 cm (9 15/16 x 11 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Noah L. Butkin 1980.236
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

This watercolor was made after the year of Léon Bonvin's marriage, a time when he was increasingly trying to make a living from his art.

Description

Neglected within his own time, the watercolors of Bonvin have only come to be fully appreciated in the late 20th century. An artist with little formal training, Bonvin earned a living working in his family’s inn in Vaugirard, on the outskirts of Paris. The landscape near his home and studies of the inn’s garden became his themes.
A watercolor and ink drawing on paper features a landscape bisected by a pale, hazy horizon. In the foreground, a thistle with spiky, dark green leaves sits on brown soil, its serrated foliage outlined with fine pen lines. Beyond, a wide green field recedes into the distance. In the lower left corner is a handwritten signature and the date 1862. The composition contrasts the textured plant against the atmospheric background.

Study of a Plant, Possibly Thistle

1862

Léon Bonvin

(French, 1834–1866)
France, 19th century

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