Hummingbird and Apple Blossoms 1875

Martin Johnson Heade painted this canvas of hummingbirds and apple blossoms in 1895. Here, the artist is working within the tradition of American naturalism, at a time when the urban-industrial was rapidly overtaking the agrarian. What does it mean to paint in exquisite detail an idealized image of nature at this particular moment in American history? Does this painting invite us to contemplate a lost paradise? Or does it offer a utopian vision of what a harmonious relationship between mankind and nature could look like? Looking closely, we might notice that Heade has composed this seemingly objective study with an eye for the decorative. His paintings were, after all, highly sought after by wealthy industrialists who were eager to hang them in their mansions. To understand Heade’s painting better, one could look at popular magazines from the period, or study the advertising campaigns of railroad companies and hotel chains. Through this kind of work, we can understand the public role of art in relation to the economic and social transformations of the time.