In the 1920's and 1930's Hermann Dudley Murphy, a prominent artist in the Boston School style of painting, executed still lifes in an academic Impressionist style with vibrant colors and with great technical skill that was very much in the tradition of Edmund Tarbell. Murphy was considered part of a group referred to as the "Tarbellites", but he had his own bold style and was very much "his own man". This period in Murphy's career was his last and most successful, one in which he finally seemed to "hit his own stride".
Bouquet of Summer Flowers is a splendid example of Murphy's greater color range and dynamism. Many of Murphy's still lifes are masterpieces of aesthetic beauty and technical ability. They deserve close and careful study, as they are often deceptive at first glance. Some combine textured or wallpapered backgrounds with patterned tablecloths and vases, while others have a more austere and direct simplicity.
Graham Gallery
A Midwestern Collection
Private Collection, Greenwich, Connecticut
Graham Gallery, American Still Life, 1985