Artwork
Red Cabbages, Rhubarb and Orange
Red Cabbages, Rhubarb and Orange is an unspecified painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Charles Demuth. It dates from 1929 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Two deep purple cabbages, their wrapped leaves almost like flowers, sit beside a stalk of red rhubarb and a single bright orange. Charles Demuth set the purples, reds, and warm orange against a plain background in 1929, the leaves and stems rendered so closely they look ready to touch.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts these vegetables and fruit as the sole focus of the visual field, arranged to highlight their distinct forms and colors.
Charles Demuth's 1929 painting, Red Cabbages, Rhubarb and Orange, presents a still-life composition centered on specific botanical subjects: red cabbages, rhubarb stalks, and an orange. The work depicts these vegetables and fruit as the sole focus of the visual field, arranged to highlight their distinct forms and colors. As a genre painting classified as a still life, the piece represents a meticulous observation of everyday produce.
The imagery is literal, focusing on the tangible presence of the red cabbage, the rhubarb, and the orange fruit without explicit narrative context provided in the available records. The composition relies on the intrinsic qualities of these objects, presenting them as the primary subjects of artistic study within the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
History & Provenance
The still life Red Cabbages, Rhubarb and Orange was created by Charles Demuth in 1929, as confirmed by both internal documentation and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s records [1, 2]. The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains housed; its dimensions are recorded as 35.2 cm in height and 50.5 cm in width [2]. No documented commission or early ownership details prior to its accession by the museum have been established in the available sources.
Charles Demuth's 1929 painting, Red Cabbages, Rhubarb and Orange, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work, a still life depicting red cabbage, rhubarb, and an orange, measures 35.2 by 50.5 centimeters. While the Met maintains the piece in its permanent holdings, the provided sources do not specify a unique inventory or accession number for this specific entry.
Furthermore, the available documentation does not record any exhibition history for the painting, listing only its creation date and physical dimensions alongside its current institutional location.
Overview
The painting titled "Red Cabbages, Rhubarb and Orange" presents a focused still life composition. It features a selection of vibrant produce, meticulously rendered to highlight their distinct forms and hues. The artist's approach emphasizes the visual interplay of deep purples, rich reds, and a glowing orange, set against a subdued backdrop.
This work exemplifies an attention to both color and the tactile qualities of everyday objects, inviting close observation of their natural textures.
Technique & Style
The artist employed a technique that prioritizes both color saturation and realistic detail. The purples of the cabbages, the reds of the rhubarb, and the warm orange of the fruit are rendered with intensity, creating a striking contrast against the plain background. The meticulous depiction of leaves and stems conveys a strong sense of texture, suggesting the varied surfaces of the produce. This precise rendering aims to evoke a tactile experience for the viewer.
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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.
