Acquisition Number: 2024.15
Medium:
Watercolor on board
Size:
17 ¼ x 23 ¼ in.
Date:
1938
Credit: Gift of Tom and Ginny Horner
Travis, one of the most talented artists of the Cleveland School, was part of the outstanding watercolor tradition of Northeast Ohio that took the country by storm.
Travis had a free and imaginative approach towards constructing an image, influenced by his teacher Henry Keller and classmates Frank Wilcox and Charles Burchfield, all of the Cleveland School of Art. A trip to Africa in the 1920s also influenced his work through the bold colors and rhythmic patterns of African textiles. Over time, Travis' style evolved towards Modernism, incorporating abstract forms and experimenting with composition. He often broke a scene down into shapes and colors, using color as a vehicle for emotion. Here his palette is bold yet soft, expressing the beauty and emotion of the landscape. The perspective is unique, with the flowers taking up the entire foreground as if we are crouched down and hidden among them. The abstraction of the piece combines with realism, resulting in a scene that equally represents both styles and is much less abstract than many of his other works.
|