A Graduate of Pomona
William Henry Hunt, Still Life with Apples, c. 1855)
Still Life with Apples
London, The Tate, No. N01974
Watercolor, bodycolor, and gum arabic
13.3 X 19 cm.
Provenance:
Charles Fraser, by whom given to the Tate in 1905.
This small Hunt still life of two apples and a snail shell against a moss covered dirt background is of the highest quality. It is in the collection of the Tate Gallery, London, but is generally not on display. Due to the known detrimental effects of prolonged exposure of watercolors to lighting, the Tate, like almost all museums, does not leave any but the most famous watercolors in its collection on display. The Tate is actually one of the few institutions, which has a special watercolor gallery with very low lighting for the display of works by Blake and others which are of great public interest.
Since Hunt priced his work based on size, he often put less effort (= less detail) into his small works. But this still life is as fine, inch per inch, as any of the artist's most impressive large still paintings. Even the greatest old masters who specialized in painting still life in oil were not as successful as Hunt in showing the textures and imperfections one actually sees when viewing the skin of an apple.
William Henry Hunt, Still Life with Apples, c. 1855)
Still Life with Apples
London, The Tate, No. N01974
Watercolor, bodycolor, and gum arabic
13.3 X 19 cm.
Provenance:
Charles Fraser, by whom given to the Tate in 1905.
This small Hunt still life of two apples and a snail shell against a moss covered dirt background is of the highest quality. It is in the collection of the Tate Gallery, London, but is generally not on display. Due to the known detrimental effects of prolonged exposure of watercolors to lighting, the Tate, like almost all museums, does not leave any but the most famous watercolors in its collection on display. The Tate is actually one of the few institutions, which has a special watercolor gallery with very low lighting for the display of works by Blake and others which are of great public interest.
Since Hunt priced his work based on size, he often put less effort (= less detail) into his small works. But this still life is as fine, inch per inch, as any of the artist's most impressive large still paintings. Even the greatest old masters who specialized in painting still life in oil were not as successful as Hunt in showing the textures and imperfections one actually sees when viewing the skin of an apple.