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In Still Life, a bunch of flowers has been placed in an orange-brown vase decorated with white flowers. The vase rests precariously on a dramatically tilted round table; Kuniyoshi flattened the space in a decidedly Cubist vein. Next to the vase are a discarded white cloth and a dropped blossom. The bright reds, yellows, greens and whites of the flowers stand out against the somber brown background. One yellow lily in particular bends emphatically to the left, drawing the viewer’s eye to a suit of men’s clothes hanging in a closet. The brown jacket and hanging suspenders imply a human presence, now missing, and provoke questions. To whom does the suit belong? Who is absent from this room, leaving the flowers to wither and die in the vase? The dusting cloth on the table—was it dropped when someone departed quickly before completing the task? The dark palette that Kuniyoshi used for the painting contributes to the somber atmosphere, while the textured paint surface gives the work substance and weight.
Kuniyoshi’s decision to depict flowers is also effective in conveying meaning. The inclusion of living things in a still life—flowers or fruit, which fade and decay—traditionally implies the passage of time and reminds the viewer of life’s transience.
In 1994, Sara Mazow Kuniyoshi wrote to Kuniyoshi scholar Susan Lubowsky to inform her that this work was included in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1929. [1] Evidently, the artist valued it highly enough to include it in an exhibition that confirmed his status in the New York art world. Created during a transitional phase in his work, Still Life shows Kuniyoshi exploring new symbolic territory.
Notes:
[1] Letter from Sara Mazo Kuniyoshi, Kuniyoshi’s second wife, to Susan Lubowsky, February 23, 1994, Reynolda House Museum of American Art object file.
ProvenanceBarbara B. Millhouse, New York. [1]
Notes:
[1] Loan Agreement.
Exhibition History1929
Salons of America
Woodstock Artists Association Galleries, Woodstock, NY (4/1929-5/1929)
1929-1930
Painting by Nineteen Living Americans
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY (December 1929-January 1930)
Cat. No. 56
2012
Affinities: Pairings from the Collection
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC (6/30/2012-12/30/2012)
2020
Private Life: Domestic and Interior Spaces in 20th Century Art
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC (2/4/2020-9/27/2020)
2024
Interior Lives: Modern American Spaces, 1890-1945
Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC (2/17/2024 - 5/12/2024)
Published ReferencesBloodgood, Josephine. Kuniyoshi at Woodstock (Woodstock, NY: Woodstock Artists Association, 2003: 15.
DepartmentCollection of Barbara B. Millhouse
Still Life
Artist
Yasuo Kuniyoshi
(1889 - 1953)
Date1928
Mediumoil on canvas
DimensionsFrame: 43 3/8 x 40 13/16 in. (110.2 x 103.7 cm)
Canvas: 39 5/8 x 32 3/16 in. (100.6 x 81.8 cm)
SignedY. Kuniyoshi / 28
Credit LineCourtesy of Barbara B. Millhouse
Copyright© 2021 Estate of Yasuo Kuniyoshi / Artist Rights Society (ARS), NY
Object numberIL2003.1.21
DescriptionYasuo Kuniyoshi painted this still life in 1928, the year he went to France and found new inspiration in painting from direct observation. Although it is likely he painted this work before embarking on that significant trip, it is clear that the artist had already begun exploring the evocative potential of objects. With this seemingly simple image of a vase of flowers placed on a round tabletop, the artist creates a mood of mystery, neglect, and loss.In Still Life, a bunch of flowers has been placed in an orange-brown vase decorated with white flowers. The vase rests precariously on a dramatically tilted round table; Kuniyoshi flattened the space in a decidedly Cubist vein. Next to the vase are a discarded white cloth and a dropped blossom. The bright reds, yellows, greens and whites of the flowers stand out against the somber brown background. One yellow lily in particular bends emphatically to the left, drawing the viewer’s eye to a suit of men’s clothes hanging in a closet. The brown jacket and hanging suspenders imply a human presence, now missing, and provoke questions. To whom does the suit belong? Who is absent from this room, leaving the flowers to wither and die in the vase? The dusting cloth on the table—was it dropped when someone departed quickly before completing the task? The dark palette that Kuniyoshi used for the painting contributes to the somber atmosphere, while the textured paint surface gives the work substance and weight.
Kuniyoshi’s decision to depict flowers is also effective in conveying meaning. The inclusion of living things in a still life—flowers or fruit, which fade and decay—traditionally implies the passage of time and reminds the viewer of life’s transience.
In 1994, Sara Mazow Kuniyoshi wrote to Kuniyoshi scholar Susan Lubowsky to inform her that this work was included in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1929. [1] Evidently, the artist valued it highly enough to include it in an exhibition that confirmed his status in the New York art world. Created during a transitional phase in his work, Still Life shows Kuniyoshi exploring new symbolic territory.
Notes:
[1] Letter from Sara Mazo Kuniyoshi, Kuniyoshi’s second wife, to Susan Lubowsky, February 23, 1994, Reynolda House Museum of American Art object file.
ProvenanceBarbara B. Millhouse, New York. [1]
Notes:
[1] Loan Agreement.
Exhibition History1929
Salons of America
Woodstock Artists Association Galleries, Woodstock, NY (4/1929-5/1929)
1929-1930
Painting by Nineteen Living Americans
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY (December 1929-January 1930)
Cat. No. 56
2012
Affinities: Pairings from the Collection
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC (6/30/2012-12/30/2012)
2020
Private Life: Domestic and Interior Spaces in 20th Century Art
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC (2/4/2020-9/27/2020)
2024
Interior Lives: Modern American Spaces, 1890-1945
Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC (2/17/2024 - 5/12/2024)
Published ReferencesBloodgood, Josephine. Kuniyoshi at Woodstock (Woodstock, NY: Woodstock Artists Association, 2003: 15.
Status
Not on viewcirca 1930