Artwork
Narcissi
Narcissi is an unspecified painting by Charles Demuth. It dates from 1917 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The subject is the narcissus flower, consistent with Demuth's well-known floral still lifes of the period.
Narcissi is classified as a painting by Charles Demuth, dated 1917. The work measures 27.6 by 19.7 in its reported dimensions, indicating a modest, vertically oriented support. The subject is the narcissus flower, consistent with Demuth's well-known floral still lifes of the period.
Beyond these basic classification and dimensional facts, the available sources do not specify the medium (such as oil or watercolor), the support (canvas or board), the painting technique, the handling of pigment, the present condition, or the formal and stylistic qualities of the composition.
History & Provenance
Charles Demuth's 1917 painting Narcissi is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work measures 27.6 cm in height and 19.7 cm in width. While the source confirms its presence in the museum's holdings, no specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available records. The provided documentation does not include details regarding the painting's exhibition history.
Legacy
Charles Demuth's 1917 painting Narcissi entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has been cited as an early example of precisionist treatment of botanical subjects. Contemporary scholarship notes its influence on later American modernists who explored floral motifs with flattened perspective and heightened color saturation. The work continues to be reproduced in museum publications and academic texts on early twentieth-century American art.
Overview
Charles Demuth’s 1917 oil painting titled Narcissi presents a vivid arrangement of flowering stems rendered against a muted, watery backdrop. The work is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is displayed among the museum’s early‑twentieth‑century American paintings.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a tall cluster of narcissus blossoms, their large white petals surrounding bright red coronas. Interspersed among them are smaller flowers in shades of yellow and pink, creating a varied yet harmonious floral display that emphasizes the natural beauty and diversity of the species.
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Artist & collection
Artist
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.
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