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Hill, John William. Yellow Blossom, ca. 1856-1857. Transparent and opaque watercolor over graphite with gum varnish on beige, thick, slightly textured wove paper, 8 7/8 x 9 3/8 in. (22.5 x 23.8 cm). Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard L. Milberg, 82.85.1. No known copyright restrictions.
After reading John Ruskin’s Modern Painters in the 1850s, Hill embraced Ruskinian aesthetic principles and became the first president of the Society for the Advancement of Truth in Art, the organization of the American Pre-Raphaelites. Hill’s commitment to exacting representations of nature is evident in his landscapes and botanical still lifes, such as this close-up study of a squash blossom. With fine brushstrokes, he articulated even the most minute details of petal creases and stem fuzz.