Two Blue Vases
circa 1925
20th century
74 cm x 58.8 cm (29 1/8 in. x 23 1/8 in.)
Arthur Beecher Carles
(Pennsylvania, 1882 - 1952, Pennsylvania)
Primary
Object Type:
painting
Artist Nationality:
North America, American
Medium and Support:
Oil on canvas
Credit Line:
Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Gift of Mari and James A. Michener, 1991
Accession Number:
1991.201
Object Description:
Here, parallel bud vases on a precariously angled tabletop are rendered in short strokes, sometimes heavy with paint, other times in a thin wash. Strong black curves anchor the still life to a backdrop filled with signs of motion. We imagine figures moving in the background or curtains waving before an open window, tossing flashes of sunlight and flickering shadows.
Carles felt subject to be subordinate to the painter's response to a subject. "Those who look to painting to find object matter are not in need of paintings. They should go to the theatre," he said.