
Collection Online as of March 29, 2023
(American, 1918–2013)
Oil on canvas
Overall: 152.4 x 177.8 cm (60 x 70 in.)
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.171
not on view
As a child, O’Sickey attended Saturday classes in illustration here at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Joseph O’Sickey’s most celebrated canvases, such as Garden Variations: Orange and Yellow, are hybrid still life and landscape subjects that he arranged and painted in his backyard. A frequent motif in this body of work is a cloth-covered table prepared for entertainment that takes center stage. Here, the table displays a bowl of fruit, vases of flowers, and bottled beverages. As this painting’s title suggests, bold color is a prominent compositional feature, creating a festive feeling appropriate for an informal outdoor gathering.