Charles Demuth
American Watercolorist and Oil Painter
Movements and Styles: Early American Modernism, Precisionism, Impressionism
Born: November 8, 1883 - Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Died: October 23, 1935 - Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Table of contents
> Synopsis> Key Ideas
> Most Important Art
> Biography
Influences and Connections
Resources
"Paintings must be looked at and looked at and looked at. No writing, no talking, no singing, no dancing will explain them."
Synopsis
A larger-than-life figure who is remembered nearly as often for his wit as he is for his paintings, the bold and insatiably curious Charles Demuth wasn't just a product of America's transformative early-20th century; he was one of its archetypes. Demuth was a principal member of the Precisionist movement that emphasized sharp lines and clear geometric shapes. Challenging the boundaries of race, class, sexuality, and artistic tradition, he digested the shifting social landscape around him and left behind a memorable body of work that defies categorization.
Key Ideas
Biography
Childhood
Charles Demuth was the only child of Ferdinand and Augusta Demuth, long-term residents of Lancaster. He grew up in a house next door to the family tobacco shop on East King Street, which his father's family had owned since 1770. When he was four years old Demuth injured his hip and was bedridden for several weeks. His mother gave him crayons and watercolors to keep him entertained, and this marked the beginning of his love for art. As art would become a major feature of his life, so too, unfortunately, would illness. His injury made it necessary for him to use a cane and he walked with a pronounced limp. Though he was close to both his parents, his physical frailty meant that he was particularly dependent on his mother. He became socially withdrawn at school, preferring to play with girls over boys, as his mother and aunt had warned him that rough play with other boys could cause his injury to worsen. Both his parents supported his interest in painting and drawing from an early age - his father was an amateur photographer himself.
Important Art by Charles DemuthThe below artworks are the most important by Charles Demuth - that both overview the major creative periods, and highlight the greatest achievements by the artist. | |
  | Self Portrait (1907)Artwork description & Analysis: Demuth painted this self-portrait while he was studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAMA). 23 years old, he depicts himself as a pensive, thoughtful young man. While the details of his face and hair are captured in painstaking detail and nuance, his clothing is less distinctive, and gives way to a looser, unfinished rendering of his jacket toward the bottom of the canvas. His eyes do not directly meet the gaze of the viewer, and instead look slightly downward and to the right. The style of the portrait demonstrates how the instructors at PAMA - among them Thomas Anshutz, William Merritt Chase, and Hugh Breckenridge - instilled within Demuth an early reverence for a traditional, European approach to art. This early self-portrait is somewhat reminiscent of the work of John Singer Sargent, though Demuth would go on to develop his own distinct style. This painting was the only work ever exhibited in his hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, during his lifetime. Oil on Canvas - Demuth Museum, Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
 | At Marshalls (1915)Artwork description & Analysis: During his regular visits to New York, Demuth would meet with friends at jazz clubs, basement bars, and hotel cafés. This sketchy, impressionistic watercolor depicts an evening he spent listening to jazz in the bar of the Marshall Hotel in the company of fellow artists Marcel Duchamp, Edward Fisk, and Marsden Hartley. It captures the energy of a night on the town: the men are smartly dressed, the room is smoky, and their faces are flushed with drink. Watercolor and Graphite on Paper - Demuth Museum, Lancaster, Pennsylvania |
 | Turkish Bath with Self Portrait (1918)Artwork description & Analysis: This watercolor sketch offers an illuminating depiction of the gay subculture in postwar New York. The setting is likely the Lafayette Baths, a Turkish bathhouse in the East Village. The artist, with dark hair and mustache, appears nude in the center of the frame. He talks with two other men: a blonde man swaddled in a towel, who faces away from the camera, and a fully undressed red-headed man who strikes a confident pose. Behind the trio, a man with indistinct features stands in a pool, water waist high, while a duo in the upper right corner of the canvas seem to be caught up in an intimate moment. Graphite and Watercolor on Paper - Private Collection |
More Charles Demuth Artwork and Analysis:
Influences and Connections
Artists
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Influences on Artist
Artists
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Useful Resources on Charles Demuth
Books
Websites
Articles
Videos
biography
Charles Demuth  By Barbara Haskell | Charles Demuth By Alvord L. Eiseman | ||
| Letters of Charles Demuth By Bruce Kellner |
artworks
| Charles Demuth Museum Website of museum dedicated to the artist in Lancaster, PA | Barnes Foundation - Demuth Collection Extensive collection of Demuth's art based in Philadelphia | ||
| 211 Works by Demuth |
| Images of America: The Precisionists By Hilton Kramer | Precisionism And a Few Of Its Friends By Roberta Smith |
| Selection of Demuth Works October 24, 2011 |
Content compiled and written by Jen Glennon
Edited and published by The Art Story Contributors
" Artist Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. . TheArtStory.org
Content compiled and written by Jen Glennon
Edited and published by The Art Story Contributors
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