Obata: Watercolor of Blooming Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum)

Artist: Chiura Obata   (1885-1975)
Title: Watercolor of Blooming Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum)
Date: ca. 1930s

Lovely watercolor of cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum), a plant native to California that is in the carrot family. It is identified by its characteristic umbel of white flowers atop a sturdy stalk which rises above its impressive, large leaves that are palmately compound with serrated edges. This would be an easy plant to come across in Northern California, as it is widely spread. Obata has communicated its size by having the plant take up pretty much the whole height and width of the paper. This work is not backed, which is unusual for the artist, and we can see “#9” on the verso left and “15.-” on the lower right verso, perhaps indicating a very long-ago price. There is a small amount of sparkling mica on the lower leaves.

Obata’s mastery of the brush was so complete that he could paint in many different styles, all of them unique to his experience and training. As Obata himself wrote “But if the artist is full of individuality, the product is also full of individuality, and it is a true artwork.” (See page 127 of Chiura Obata: An American Modern). Obata taught at Berkeley between 1932 and 1954, and the University of California, Berkeley preserved many of his paintings while Obata and his family were interned in Utah during WWII.  Provenance: Estate of Chiura Obata. Includes a Certificate of Authenticity.

Condition: Very good condition overall. Three of the corners have some paper missing, and there are some light spots to the paper. Unbacked, which is unusual for the artist. Dimensions: 52.5 x 39.3 cm
Provenance:  Provenance: Estate of Chiura Obata. Includes a Certificate of Authenticity from the Estate of the artist.
Signature: Chiura Obata  Seal: Artist's seal in red

SKU: OBA166