Yellow Blossom
John William Hill
American Art
After reading John Ruskin’s Modern Painters in the 1850s, Hill embraced Ruskinian aesthetic principles and became the first president of the Society for the Advancement of Truth in Art, the organization of the American Pre-Raphaelites. Hill’s commitment to exacting representations of nature is evident in his landscapes and botanical still lifes, such as this close-up study of a squash blossom. With fine brushstrokes, he articulated even the most minute details of petal creases and stem fuzz.
MEDIUM
Transparent and opaque watercolor over graphite with gum varnish on beige, thick, slightly textured wove paper
DATES
ca. 1856-1857
DIMENSIONS
8 7/8 x 9 3/8 in. (22.5 x 23.8 cm)
INSCRIPTIONS
Inscribed in pencil at lower left: "Painted from nature by J. W. Hill / about 1856 or 7"
ACCESSION NUMBER
82.85.1
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard L. Milberg
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
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