Nocturne, ca. 1885
John La Farge
Watercolor, gouache, and charcoal on off-white wove paper adhered to wove paper
Bequest of Miss Louise Veltin, 1937 (37.104)

Young La Farge was instructed in watercolor painting by his maternal grandfather, who was a miniaturist, and learned English watercolor techniques in college. A founder and leader of the American watercolor movement by the late 1870s, La Farge used watercolor to make studies for illustrations and decorative projects, to record his travels, and, perhaps most eloquently, to paint floral still-life exhibition pieces. Nocturne typifies those still lifes in its poetic mood, its sensitive handling of the medium, and its integration of Japanese principles of design and color, which La Farge was one of the first American artists to appreciate.