Florida: The Late Works
Although Heade did paint landscapes, his
still lifes are considered his most inventive works. Fascinated now with
the southern magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, as he previously had
been with orchids and passionflowers, he painted the flower again and
again, taking it from the vase and laying the cut branches upon soft,
light-absorbing backgrounds of red, brown, or deep blue velvet.
The
fleshy, white petals of the magnolia blossoms appear almost to glow in such
paintings as Giant Magnolias on a Blue Velvet Cloth (c.
1885-1895). In contrast to the flowers, the glossy leaves softly reflect the
light, while the velvet provides a soft, matte foil. Giant Magnolias on a
Blue Velvet Cloth is thought to be the culmination of Heade's series of
horizontal paintings of magnolia branches. Although these beautiful works received
little attention in his lifetime, today they are appreciated for their sensuality
and undertones of mystery.
In Florida, Heade at last found peace and permanence. In his sixties and seventies, Heade continued to paint in the now out-of-date realist style, and he produced some of the most remarkable still lifes in American art. Sixty-seven years after he had begun, he was still working up until a few weeks before his death in September 1904.
Introduction | Seashore Views and Marshes | Early Still Lifes | Hummingbirds | Florida | Images
