Artwork
Narcissi
Narcissi is an unspecified painting by Charles Demuth. It dates from 1917 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Charles Demuth’s 1917 oil painting titled Narcissi presents a vivid arrangement of flowering stems rendered against a muted, watery backdrop. The work is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is displayed among the museum’s early‑twentieth‑century American paintings.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a tall cluster of narcissus blossoms, their large white petals surrounding bright red coronas. Interspersed among them are smaller flowers in shades of yellow and pink, creating a varied yet harmonious floral display that emphasizes the natural beauty and diversity of the species.
Technique & Style
Demuth employs loose, gestural brushwork that allows colors to merge softly, producing a sense of atmospheric depth. The background is rendered in cool, greenish tones that suggest mist or fog, thereby isolating the vivid blooms and highlighting their form and chromatic intensity without focusing on minute detail.
History & Provenance
Created during the later phase of Demuth’s career, Narcissi entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s holdings through acquisition in the mid‑twentieth century. The painting has remained in the museum’s collection, contributing to its representation of American modernist approaches to still‑life subjects.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Henry Buckius Demuth (November 8, 1883 – October 23, 1935) was an American painter who specialized in watercolors and turned to oils late in his career, developing a style of painting known as Precisionism.
