"The last mad throb of red just as it turns green; the ultimate shriek of orange calling all the blues of heaven for relief and support... each color almost regains the fun it must have felt within itself on forming the first rainbow."
- Charles Demuth
Charles Demuth, a native of Lancaster, is acknowledged as a master within the American watercolor tradition, placing him alongside notable figures such as Winslow Homer, John Marin, and Georgia O’Keeffe. He received his education at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under the tutelage of William Merritt Chase and Thomas Anshutz.
During his adolescence, Demuth journeyed to Paris, where he had the opportunity to study the works of Cézanne and the Fauves. Demuth's distinctive artistic style featured finely detailed forms outlined in pencil, coupled with vibrant color washes that skillfully utilized the blank canvas to create a visually striking effect. His subjects often derived from floral and fruit arrangements found in and around his family home in Pennsylvania, showcasing his ability to capture the nuanced beauty of fading flowers.
Despite his rural roots, Demuth embraced a cosmopolitan lifestyle, actively participating in the Greenwich Village scene in New York. He showcased his versatility by painting scenes from the circus and vaudeville performances at the bohemian locales he frequented. In the post-war era, Demuth adopted a Precisionist approach, applying a Cubist vocabulary to create geometric compositions featuring colonial-style churches and modern factories in the Lancaster area.
Demuth grappled with persistent health challenges for the majority of his life. By 1920, the debilitating impact of diabetes had significantly sapped his artistic vitality. At the age of 51, he succumbed to complications arising from diabetes at his home in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He was laid to rest in the Lancaster Cemetery.
