Still Life with Arum Lilies and Fruit

Wright is best known for his abstract Synchromist paintings of the second decade of the twentieth century.  Having studied color theory and assimilated the bright tones of Impressionism and the works of Henri Matisse and Paul Cézanne, Wright developed Synchromism together with Morgan Russell, an American painter whom he met in Paris.  After his intense exploration of the properties of color and its use in generating form and emotion, Wright returned to more realistic subject matter. Painted in 1923, "Still Life with Arum Lilies and Fruit" retains aspects of Synchromism in the prismatic colors of the shadows and the concentric circles of the blue and red cloth placed beneath the bowl.  It differs from earlier Synchromist works, however, in its richer, more varied palette, thicker paint application, and use of line.  The influence of Cézanne is unmistakable in the tabletop composition and patchy brush strokes.  Wright's depiction of a more traditional subject in a more realistic style is consistent with general trends in European and American painting in the 1920s as many artists moved away from pure abstraction.This text was adapted by Janet Comey from Karyn Esielonis, et al, "Still-Life Painting in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston" (Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1994).