Charles Demuth

Kennedy Galleries, New York
The Old Print Shop, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner

in good condition, overall; a small repaired tear at upper edge, left (extends down about 1 in. from edge); a few spots of dirt, soot along lower edge; a few scattered stains/spots of foxing--minor; sheet is hinged to backing with pieces of white tape along the upper edge, verso
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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Two constants throughout Charles Demuth’s life were the still life as subject in his art and his childhood home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania as his refuge. His mother, Augusta, always a strong influence, was certainly responsible in some part for his initial love of both, as she was an amateur flower painter and known for the lush, lovely Victorian garden she kept at the family home in Lancaster. 

Both were integral to Demuth’s mature works from the mid-1920s, when he produced  some of the most refined, erudite and iconic works of his career--almost all of them small-scale still lifes and in the medium of watercolor.  In 1922, the artist moved home from New York for health reasons, to recover from the devastating effects of Diabetes Mellitus just before the use of insulin became available.  Depleted and weak, he wrote at the time in a letter to Arthur Stieglitz, his champion and promoter, “I’ve only painted in watercolour.  The strain is greater, but I don’t have to return and fuss if it goes bad as one always does in oil or tempera” (Barbara Haskell, Charles Demuth, New York, 1987, p. 141).

By this time, the 38 year-old artist had become a well-regarded American modernist. He was securely in Stieglitz’s sphere and earlier, had spent time in Paris over several sojourns where he had immersed himself in the cultural circles of the avant-garde and the work of Cezanne, Duchamp, Fauvism and Cubism. 

Demuth’s earlier floral works are characterized by curvilinear, sensuous forms arranged in overall patterns against darker backgrounds. As reflected beautifully in the present work, by the 1920s his colors grew softer, his overall designs were greatly simplified and he made use of negative space by incorporating blank areas as part of the composition.  As well, these later works display a sense of fragility and repose, no doubt a reflection of the artist’s state of mind. 

Demuth liked the subject of the present work enough to have executed at least two other similarly themed watercolors from this time. Several of the same objects are in both.  In Flowers and Cucumbers (sold:  Christie’s, New York, December 4, 2008, lot 11), he explored the subject with the same vase of daisies and the three cucumbers in slightly different positions and in Daisies and Tomatoes (sold:  Sotheby’s, New York, May 21, 2003, lot 2), the same vase with daisies is surrounded by four ripe tomatoes rather than cucumbers.

Dr. Sherman E. Lee wrote of the artist’s accomplishments during this mature stage in his career, “…Demuth devoted most of his efforts to the watercolor medium, and in that method he produced works that take their place with the architectural watercolors of Cezanne, the Cubist works of Braque and Picasso, and the Expressionist figure pieces of Nolde, or earlier, Toulouse-Lautrec. ….. I think his art is best described by Wordsworth’s particular definition of poetry……’emotion recollected in tranquility’”. (Thomas E. Norton et al., Homage To Charles Demuth, Still Life Painter of Lancaster, Ephrata, Pennsylvania, 1978, p.61)