Artwork Page for Amaryllis

Details / Information for Amaryllis

Amaryllis

c. 1923

Charles Demuth

(American, 1883–1935)
Culture
America
Medium
watercolor over graphite
Support
Cream(3) wove paper
Measurements
Sheet: 45.8 x 30.4 cm (18 1/16 x 11 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Hinman B. Hurlbut Collection 1923.2490
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

This watercolor was purchased by the museum during its first exhibition, at Daniel Gallery in New York, and was one of the first works by Charles Demuth to enter a public museum collection.

Description

Still-life was one of Charles Demuth's favorite genres, and he created works on this theme throughout his career. This drawing of a blooming amaryllis was completed while the artist was convalescing with diabetes in his hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Because of his physical weakness, he was limited to working in watercolor, a less demanding medium than painting, and to subjects that he could easily observe, such as flowers. Demuth drew the amaryllis's form in graphite and then brushed on watercolor precisely, using a blotter to develop the pebbly texture seen throughout.
A vertically oriented watercolor depicts vibrant red amaryllis flowers against a cream background. One bloom with a yellow center faces left, while another arches toward the right. Thick green stems and tapered leaves splay from the bottom. Muted reddish-brown and gray washes create abstracted, curving shapes behind the plants. Fine graphite lines remain visible through translucent paint layers, defining the organic shapes of the petals and foliage.

Amaryllis

c. 1923

Charles Demuth

(American, 1883–1935)
America

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