Juliette May Fraser American, 1887-1983
Koali (Morning Glory), 1938
Oil on canvas
40 x 30 "
Private collection
Juliette May Fraser was one of many artists to render the colorful – and, ironically, largely introduced – blossoms that have come to suggest the tropical lushness of Hawaii. Plumeria,...
Juliette May Fraser was one of many artists to render the colorful – and, ironically, largely introduced – blossoms that have come to suggest the tropical lushness of Hawaii. Plumeria, heliconia, night-blooming cereus, and evening morning glory attracted the attention of artists such as Fraser.
Perhaps influenced by the sensuous flower paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe (who would visit the Islands in 1939), Fraser filled the picture plane of her canvas with vibrant – and strikingly magnified – purple-blue flowers and leaves. Less botanical illustration that personal expression, the overlapping and undulating petal surfaces and curvaceous forms of buds and foliage evoke the sensual beauty of the flower.
Perhaps influenced by the sensuous flower paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe (who would visit the Islands in 1939), Fraser filled the picture plane of her canvas with vibrant – and strikingly magnified – purple-blue flowers and leaves. Less botanical illustration that personal expression, the overlapping and undulating petal surfaces and curvaceous forms of buds and foliage evoke the sensual beauty of the flower.
Exhibitions
Art Deco Hawaiʻi. Honolulu Museum of Art, 3 July 2014 - 11 January 2015.Publications
Papanikolas, Theresa, and Desoto Brown. Art Deco Hawaiʻi. Honolulu: Honolulu Museum of Art, 2014.Severson, Don R, Michael D Horikawa, and Jennifer Saville. Finding Paradise: Island Art in Private Collections, Honolulu Academy of Arts. Honolulu: Honolulu Academy Of Arts, University Of Hawaii Press, 2002.