Study for "Le Tournesol (The Sunflower)" by Edward Steichen

Study for "Le Tournesol (The Sunflower)" c. 1920

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painting, oil-paint

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painting

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oil-paint

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geometric

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abstraction

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modernism

Dimensions: overall: 63.8 x 60.6 cm (25 1/8 x 23 7/8 in.)

Copyright: National Gallery of Art: CC0 1.0

Edward Steichen made this study for "Le Tournesol (The Sunflower)" and its kind of amazing. The color palette is muted, almost like it's been aged by the sun. The way he builds up the paint, you can tell he's thinking through the process. Looking closely, I see this vase, sort of a creamy, neutral tone, like a blank canvas amidst all the greens and reds. There is something about the tension between the flat planes and the implied depth that gets me. The green leaves are bold and graphic, while the sunflower itself hovers like a radiant halo. It reminds me a bit of Arthur Dove, with its simplified forms and focus on capturing the essence of nature. Art's not about answers, it's about keeping the conversation going.

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