Details

Title

White Plant

Artist/Maker

Helen Torr (American, 1886–1967)

Date

1930

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

20 x 8 inches

Credit

Purchase with funds from Alfred Austell Thornton in memory of Leila Austell Thornton and Albert Edward Thornton, Sr., and Sarah Miller Venable and William Hoyt Venable

Accession #

2012.49

Location

On View - Stent Family Wing, Level 3, Gallery 301

An accomplished artist, Helen Torr had until recently been obscured by her more famous husband, the modernist painter Arthur Dove. Torr created small but bold works based primarily on floral and botanical themes. White Plant—a fine example of Torr’s interest in still life and her slightly jarring compositional arrangements—depicts a White Christmas caladium set against a navy-blue fabric background. The plant’s singular flat leaf, dramatized and deepened with flat, spotted green brushstrokes and pink veins, is reminiscent of a solid white heart.

Image Copyright

© Helen Torr