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Heade, Oranges

Oranges and Orange Blossoms1883/95Oil on canvas12 1/8 × 20 7/8U-4661.1996University of Nebraska–Lincoln, in loving memory of Beatrice D. Rohman by Carl H. and Jane Rohman, through the University of Nebraska Foundation Martin Johnson HeadeMartin Johnson Heade, an avid naturalist, was one of the most important American painters of the 19th century. During the 1860s, he painted narrow panoramic landscapes of the salt marshes along the Massachusetts coast. In the late 1880s and 1890s, the artist made a series of “reclining” flower pieces, returning to a horizontal format and presenting cut flowers resting upon a flat surface. He experimented with a variety of flowers he saw in and around his home in Saint Augustine, Florida, including magnolias, oleanders, orange blossoms, and roses. Here, Heade depicts the minute details of the orange’s buds, fruit, leaves, petals, and stamen, maintaining his emphasis on realism. American 18191904St. Augustine, FLLumberville, PA