Amaryllis, Calla Lilies, and Lilacs 1922

Curator: Lovis Corinth, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, rendered this canvas with oils. You're viewing Amaryllis, Calla Lilies, and Lilacs, a still life held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's almost aggressively romantic, isn't it? That vase practically overflows with blooms, a real testament to abundance and beauty. Curator: Corinth was part of the Berlin Secession, a movement that challenged academic art institutions. These floral displays, then, become a kind of rebellion against the established artistic order. Editor: Lilacs, amaryllis, calla lilies… each carries its own symbolic weight. Lilacs often speak to first love, while calla lilies are associated with purity and resurrection. It's a complex bouquet of meanings. Curator: Indeed, and in a time of rapidly shifting social values, this return to traditional still life can be seen as a way to anchor oneself in a familiar visual language. Corinth adapted classical painting to modern anxieties. Editor: It’s fascinating how Corinth imbued what could be a simple domestic scene with such emotional depth, hinting at the cultural and psychological landscape of his time. Curator: Seeing it through this lens allows us to appreciate how paintings reflected and shaped the anxieties and aspirations of their time.