Sunflower 

Charles Demuth created this watercolor painting of a Sunflower at some point during his career in the United States. Demuth was part of a generation of artists who took an ironic approach to the conventions of art. Here, the sunflower takes on a human face, but one of melancholy and resignation. In the early twentieth century, artists were dealing with the rise of photography, questioning the need for realistic depictions of the world. Some, like Demuth, found ways to comment on traditional subjects of art, such as flowers, through innovative and sometimes humorous means. To understand Demuth’s Sunflower more fully, one might look at the wider context of American modernism, the rise of new media, and the changing role of art institutions in shaping artistic expression. Such research can deepen our appreciation for the ways in which art reflects and challenges its cultural environment.