Lathyrus 1876 - 1951

Theo Nieuwenhuis created this watercolor of Lathyrus, or sweet pea flowers, at an unknown date. The simple lines and concentrated color here feel like a kind of visual note-taking, a process of looking and responding that really resonates with me. The way the pink bleeds wetly into the paper in the flower on the right is so evocative! You can almost feel the moisture, and the weight of the color pulling down into the page. But it's also held in check by the more precise outline and the delicate strokes that define the form. Look at how the stem and the negative space meet between the leaves. It's funny, this reminds me a little of some botanical studies by Charles Demuth. Both artists had a real talent for finding the abstract in the observed world. It's a reminder that art is about so much more than just representation; it's about seeing, feeling, and making marks that invite others to do the same.