Edith White (American, 1855-1946) "California Poppies"

In the countryside of California, one is occasionally struck by the brilliance of vast stretches of poppy fields, by the bombardment of the color orange on the eyes. How perfectly Edith White has captured that brilliance in this small painting. The variation of the color in the poppies in the foreground is marvelous, as is the suggestion that the flowers, and their remarkable cadmium reds and oranges, continue into fields of innumerable poppies in the background. In this way, White creates a wonderful sense of depth within a relatively small canvas. Another of the most salient features of the poppy, other than its color, is the delicate nature of the flower. In the breeze, it flutters coquettishly, but once plucked, the fragile petals quickly wither and wilt. The paint, so thin in some areas that it is almost translucent, and the intuitive, yet decisive nature of her brushwork, reflect wonderfully the lightness and ephemerality of the very flowers she is painting. This painting style is also quite progressive and singles the artist out as a talent before her time. Edith White was born in Iowa but by the age of four she and her family moved to California by way of ox team. She began her studies of art at the San Francisco School of Design and years later, in 1892, she lived and worked in New York while she continued her studies at the New York Art Student's League. But she returned to California and, residing in Pasadena, earned her name as a flower and landscape painter of that State.