Pepper and Tomatoes by Charles Demuth
Pepper and Tomatoes by Charles Demuth is a vibrant still-life painting that reflects the artist’s mastery in capturing everyday objects with a modernist sensibility. Created in the early 1920s, this work showcases Demuth's ability to infuse ordinary subjects with a sense of vitality and dynamism through his precise use of color, line, and composition. The painting depicts a grouping of a pepper and tomatoes, their rounded forms and smooth surfaces rendered with meticulous attention to detail. Demuth uses a vivid palette of reds, greens, and yellows, highlighting the natural color variations of the vegetables and the subtle play of light across their surfaces.
Demuth’s work is characterized by his unique blend of Precisionism—a style that emphasizes sharp lines and clear geometric forms—with a softer, more intimate approach to still life. In Pepper and Tomatoes, he isolates the objects against a minimal background, allowing their shapes and colors to take center stage, creating a sense of balance and harmony. The composition reflects his interest in the intersection of realism and abstraction, bringing a fresh perspective to traditional still-life painting. Today, Pepper and Tomatoes is appreciated for its clarity, vibrant color, and modernist approach, showcasing Demuth's contributions to early 20th-century American art.
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Title: Pepper and Tomatoes
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Artist: Charles Demuth
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Date: Early 1920s
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Medium: Watercolor and graphite on paper
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Style: Precisionism, Modernism
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Current Location: Various collections, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art
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Subject: A still-life composition featuring a pepper and tomatoes, highlighting Demuth’s precisionist style and modernist approach to everyday subjects.