Plums

John William Hill

1870 · Watercolor, graphite, and gouache on off-white Bristol board · The American Wing

Hill’s conversion in the late 1850s to the aesthetics of John Ruskin and the Pre-Raphaelites was manifested most notably in his still lifes. In 1857 Ruskin wrote enthusiastically about the broken-color, or stipple, watercolor technique used by William Henry (“Bird’s Nest”) Hunt, the British master whose still lifes of humble subjects Ruskin especially prized. This watercolor well illustrates how closely Hill followed the example of Hunt as interpreted by Ruskin, creating wonderful effects with Ruskin’s prescription of “interlaced touches of pure colours,” some emulsified with gouache.

Artist

John William Hill

Date

1870

Medium

Watercolor, graphite, and gouache on off-white Bristol board

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of J. Henry Hill, 1882