Ipswich Prints; Chrysanthemum
1986
Arthur Wesley Dow was basically the cool art teacher who changed everything for American modernism. In this piece, you can see his obsession with Japanese aesthetics—the bold, dark blocks of leaves contrast perfectly with the delicate, outlined chrysanthemums. This design principle, called 'notan,' focuses on the balance of light and dark rather than realistic shading. Dow created the original 'Ipswich Prints' series in Massachusetts in the 1890s, and his teaching methods famously influenced a young Georgia O'Keeffe to look at nature in entirely new ways.
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