1923
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Amaryllis is a 1923 by Charles Demuth, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A single amaryllis flower fills the paper, petals bright red against soft green leaves. The stem curves like a dancer’s arm. Demuth made this while recovering from diabetes at home in Pennsylvania. Too weak for oil paint, he used watercolor—light, quick strokes that let the white paper glow through. The flower feels alive, almost breathing. If you like how he turns simple blooms into something sharp and modern, look up the technique impasto—thick paint that stands up off the canvas.
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.
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.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Charles Henry Buckius Demuth (November 8, 1883 – October 23, 1935) was an American painter who specialized in watercolors and turned to oils late in his career, developing a style of painting known as Precisionism.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
