Magnolia Grandiflora

A large white magnolia stretches across a bed of crimson velvet in this hushed painting by Martin Johnson Heade, made around 1890. After the American artist moved to Florida in the 1880s, he became captivated by these blossoms and painted them again and again, always laying the cut flowers on their side atop rich fabric. The pose gives the magnolia a kind of dignity, almost as if Heade were painting a person rather than a plant. Soft, creamy petals glow against the dark glossy leaves and the deep red cloth, while the shadowy background keeps all attention on the flower.

Though he is usually counted among the Hudson River School painters, Heade never quite fit their mold. His companions loved sweeping mountains and dramatic skies, but he leaned toward smaller and more personal things like hummingbirds, marshes, and these tender flower studies. The magnolia paintings barely sold during his lifetime and slipped into obscurity for decades. Only in the twentieth century did collectors circle back and discover the quiet beauty in his work, finally giving Heade the appreciation that had escaped him while he lived.