Martin Johnson Heade's Still Lifes
Take a close look at Martin Johnson Heade and his still-life paintings.
Still Life with a Turkey Pie (1627) by Claesz., Pieter Rijksmuseum
Brief history of still life
A term first used by Dutch Golden Age artists, still life is a type of art that features natural and human-made objects like flowers, glassware, and dead game. The objects depicted in still-life paintings were often symbols that reminded the viewer of their mortality.
Victorian Bouquet (c. 1850 - 1855) by Severin Roesen The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Nineteenth-century American still life
The still-life genre was first popularized in the United States in the 1830s. American artists distinguished their style from their European counterparts through their interest in science. Heade’s extreme attention to detail was akin to scientific diagrams and illustrations.
Brazilian Hummingbirds II (c. 1864 - 1865) by Martin Johnson Heade The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Martin Johnson Heade (American, 1819-1904)
Heade was a prolific painter of floral still lifes and depictions of birds and tropical life. He traveled frequently and had an intense connection to the natural world he encountered, capturing its flora and fauna in nearly scientifically accurate detail.
Still Life of Flowers in a Glass Vase (1624) by Balthasar van der Ast The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Heade’s inspiration from the Dutch golden age
Heade was inspired by still-life paintings of seventeenth-century Dutch masters. Heade was specifically influenced by the still-life paintings of Balthasar van der Ast, who was known for his floral still lifes, as well as artists Ambross Bosschaert and Jacob van Hulsdonk.
Mixed Flowers with Box and Pearls (1869) by Martin Johnson Heade Oklahoma City Museum of Art
Martin Johnson Heade’s "Mixed Flowers with a Box and Pearls"
This still-life painting by Martin Johnson Heade features a bouquet of flowers spilling out of an ornate vase alongside opulent objects placed on a table topped with a lavish tapestry. Heade’s domestic Victorian setting shows an intimate view of luxurious personal belongings.
Roses, azaleas, carnations, and heliotrope are rendered in intricate detail and bright whites, pinks, blues, and purples. Heade repeatedly painted roses and heliotrope throughout his nearly 300 still lifes.
A sparkling strand of pearls spills out of a small decorative box with a plush blue interior onto the table alongside a translucent, silk-like fabric. This assortment of objects reflects the taste of the upper class in the United States during the mid-to-late nineteenth century.
The rich, burnt-orange tapestry with gold brocade blends with the dark red background, creating a spotlight on the flowers and slender vase with a small putto figure at the base, which is typical of the elaborately decorated vases Heade depicted.
This painting marks a transition in Heade’s still lifes. Though the work is dated 1869, the luxurious objects and setting of the painting are characteristic of Heade’s still lifes of the 1870s when he fully transitioned to adding objects to his floral paintings.
Content by: Katy Martin-Beal, Assistant Curator of Collections
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.
