Fruit and Sunflowers c. 1924 - 1925

Editor: Charles Demuth's watercolor, "Fruit and Sunflowers," is a lovely, light still life. The colors are so vibrant! What strikes me is the almost manufactured feel of the objects within the painting. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I'm drawn to the interplay between the natural and the constructed. Demuth's use of watercolor flattens the objects, almost as if mass-produced. The fruits and flowers become standardized commodities, reflecting early 20th-century shifts in agricultural production and consumerism. Editor: That’s fascinating! I hadn’t thought about the social implications of the materials themselves. Thanks for that insight. Curator: Certainly! Considering the means of production allows us to see beyond the surface beauty of the still life.