Cyclamen 1918

Charles Demuth made this watercolour painting, 'Cyclamen', sometime in the early 20th century. Look at the way the colours bleed and blend, like the plants are melting into the paper. It's all soft edges and gentle washes. I can imagine Demuth, brush in hand, carefully layering these translucent hues. Pink for the delicate petals, and muted greens and blues for the leaves. There's a sense of lightness, almost like the flowers are floating. The stems are like the thinnest wires, each supporting the delicate flowerhead. It reminds me of other painters like Georgia O’Keeffe, in the way it finds something monumental in the small details of the natural world. Each artist is in their own way trying to capture some truth. Painting's like that. We just keep adding to each other’s conversations.