A Graduate of Pomona
19, p. 67 and note 12. William Henry Hunt, The Contrast -- Red and Green Apples, c. 1855
The Contrast -- Red and Green Apples
Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, England
watercolor and bodycolor
14 X 20 cm.
There is no question that William Henry Hunt often used adjacent, small brushstrokes of complimentary colors which were blended at a distance by the viewer's eye so that they would together give the appearance of a different color. This was a technique known so well to modern audiences from the work of the French Impressionists, working many decades after Hunt. Two instances of contrasting colors which are optically blended are given in the Courtauld catalogue. One, in the foreground of Slumber, is not at all an example of complimentary colors, but instead consists of a couple of small, brightly colored objects that could not possibly result in any color blending. Instead, their placement in the composition reflects another of Hunt's often-used techniques, the placement of color highlights which are intended to cause interest as the viewer's eyes are attracted to areas of the watercolor which are not the primary focus of the composition.
The authors cite another example, this still life now in the Preston museum. The title of this watercolor is almost certainly not one chosen by Hunt but is probably something an auction house or museum curator came up with on their own. And, while all of Hunt's still lifes rely upon the blurring of small brushstrokes when viewed at a distance to give the impression of the variations of surface colors seen in nature, this watercolor, overall, is also not an example of optical blending. The two apples retain their distinct, local colors, without one affecting how the viewer perceives the color of the other.
19, p. 67 and note 12. William Henry Hunt, The Contrast -- Red and Green Apples, c. 1855
The Contrast -- Red and Green Apples
Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston, England
watercolor and bodycolor
14 X 20 cm.
There is no question that William Henry Hunt often used adjacent, small brushstrokes of complimentary colors which were blended at a distance by the viewer's eye so that they would together give the appearance of a different color. This was a technique known so well to modern audiences from the work of the French Impressionists, working many decades after Hunt. Two instances of contrasting colors which are optically blended are given in the Courtauld catalogue. One, in the foreground of Slumber, is not at all an example of complimentary colors, but instead consists of a couple of small, brightly colored objects that could not possibly result in any color blending. Instead, their placement in the composition reflects another of Hunt's often-used techniques, the placement of color highlights which are intended to cause interest as the viewer's eyes are attracted to areas of the watercolor which are not the primary focus of the composition.
The authors cite another example, this still life now in the Preston museum. The title of this watercolor is almost certainly not one chosen by Hunt but is probably something an auction house or museum curator came up with on their own. And, while all of Hunt's still lifes rely upon the blurring of small brushstrokes when viewed at a distance to give the impression of the variations of surface colors seen in nature, this watercolor, overall, is also not an example of optical blending. The two apples retain their distinct, local colors, without one affecting how the viewer perceives the color of the other.