Solanum lycopersicum L.) for morpho-phenological, quality ...
1938–2018 WORKS FROM THE STUDIOshepherdgallery.com/pdf/jessica-tchereepnine.pdf14. Yellow Pear...
Transcript of 1938–2018 WORKS FROM THE STUDIOshepherdgallery.com/pdf/jessica-tchereepnine.pdf14. Yellow Pear...
JESSICA TCHEREPNINE1938–2018
WORKS FROM THE STUDIO
December 10th 2019 through January 18th 2020
Exhibition organized byRobert Kashey and David Wojciechowski
Catalog by Stephanie Hackett
58 East 79th StreetNew York, N.Y. 10075
Tel: 1 212 861 4050Fax: 1 212 722 [email protected]
SHEPHERD W & K
GALLERIES
© Copyright: Robert J. F. Kasheyfor Shepherd Gallery, Associates, 2019
COVER ILLUSTRATIONS: Yellow Pear Tomatoes with Raffia (Solanum lycopersicum), 2009, cat. no. 14
BACK COVER ILLUSTRATION: Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo), 1995
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Keith Stout
TECHNICAL NOTES: All measurements are in inches and in centimeters; height precedes width. All drawings and paintings are framed. Prices on request. All works subject to prior sale.
SHEPHERD GALLERY SERVICES is open to the public by appointment, Tuesday though Saturday from10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tel: (212) 744 3392; fax (212) 744 1525; e-mail: [email protected]
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Thanks to Patricia Jonas for her assistance in cataloguing these works.
We have had the good fortune of presenting Jessica Tcherepnine’sextraordinary botanical watercolors in a series of five exhibitionsfrom 1983 to 2008.
The current exhibition comprises all the watercolors left in herestate upon her death on December 31, 2018.
Most of the works have been brought to completion and othersreveal her working process. We have included these because, asone of her admirers has expressed, “there’s a great deal of charmand learning to be had in these drawings.”
RK / DW
Jessica Tcherepnine, a British-born watercoloristwhose meticulous, naturalistic depictions of flow-ers, fruits and vegetables established her as one of
the world’s leading creators of botanical art, died onDec. 31 at her home in Manhattan. She was 80.
Her husband, Peter Tcherepnine (pronouncedCHER-ep-neen), said the cause was complicationsof corticobasal degeneration, a progressive neurolog-ical disease, which caused her to stop painting fouryears ago.
Her portraits — of pumpkins and peppers, mush-rooms and morels, coconuts and quinces and more —combined a delicate artistic sensibility with superbtechnique, and scientific accuracy with a passion fornearly anything that grows out of the ground.
Her joy in exploring her subjects was evident in aquestion she posed in an article for the AmericanSociety of Botanical Artists in 2014.
“What could be more wonderfully weird, or moreweirdly wonderful, than the seed pod of theStrelitzia nicolai?” Ms. Tcherepnine wrote about thetropical plant better known as the white bird of par-adise, which has banana-like leaves and clumpingstalks. “I have painted these seed pods several times.Each time I see new and exciting details of theshapes and colors.”
She recalled searching in Florida for the group ofblack seeds that would provide the ideal finishingtouch to one of her bird of paradise watercolors.
Ms. Tcherepnine was a star of her corner of theart world. She won two gold medals from the Royal
Horticultural Society, the British gardening charity.She was also invited to paint the beet (Beta vulgaris)for “The Highgrove Florilegium,” a 2008 book thatrecords all the plants in Prince Charles’s garden inGloucestershire, England.
Her paintings are in the collections of the statePeterhof Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and theNatural History Museum in London, among otherplaces. Some of her artwork is also in the expansiveprivate collection of Shirley Sherwood, a Britishbotanist, writer and philanthropist.
“She produced strong, individual plant portraitswhich were arresting,” Ms. Sherwood said in anemail. “She also chose interesting subjects at a timewhen there were far fewer botanical artists thantoday and there was a tendency to paint only pretty,popular subjects like roses.”
Beginning in 1983, Ms. Tcherepnine was thesubject of several successful exhibitions atthe Shepherd Gallery in Manhattan, which steppedout of its specialty in 19th century art to showcaseher paintings.
“The reason we show her work — she’s the onlybotanical artist we do show — is that it is not old-fashioned,” Robert Kashey, the gallery’s director, saidin an interview with The New York Times in 1997.“The lines, the clarity, the magic she creates, theemotion she has for the plants. That’s why she’s oneof the best.”
Ms. Tcherepnine was also a longtime boardmember of the Horticultural Society of New York,
for whom she taught botanical drawing to prisonersat Rikers Island, the city’s main jail.
“She’d come out several times a year and talk tothe inmates about the colors and elements of aflower,” Sara Hobel, the society’s executive director,said in a telephone interview. “Once, she conducted afantastic discussion with them about pepper plants.”
Jessica Elizabeth Harris was born on May 14,1938, in Sussex, England, and grew up in the country-side there and in London. Her father, WilliamBarclay Harris, was a lawyer, and her mother,Elizabeth (Milnes Coates) Harris, was a homemaker.
As a child, Jessica drew and painted flowers —blossoms in particular — in her family’s garden. Afterattending a girls boarding school in England, shestudied drawing and watercolors for several months inFlorence with the noted teacher Nerina Simi.
She found work in the art world in the 1960s,mostly as an assistant in various departments ofChristie’s, the auction house, in London and in itsManhattan office. She married Mr. Tcherephine, aninvestment manager, in 1973 while living in theUnited States.
In 1982, she left her job to focus full-time onbotanical painting.
“When I am doing a painting, my subject is thelast thing I look at before I go to bed and the firstthing I look at when I get up in the morning,” Ms.Tcherepnine wrote in the article for the AmericanSociety of Botanical Artists. “And I am thinkingabout it in between.”
She painted in her apartment in Manhattan andin her home in Millbrook, in Dutchess County, N.Y.,sometimes with a flower in one hand and a brush inthe other. Her subjects included flowers from her gar-den and exotic plants she found in Florida and theWest Indies.
“I have painted practically everything I can gethold of, from magnolias to beets to dandelions andskunk cabbage,” Ms. Tcherepnine wrote, adding thather focus had evolved to depicting sculptural ele-ments, like the seed pod of the West Indian fruitackee. “You have to paint what speaks to you.”
In addition to her husband, she is survived by asister, Hermione Karlin; a brother, Jonathan Harris; astepdaughter, Samantha Tcherepnine, and threestep-grandchildren.
Last year, Ms. Tcherepnine donated the use of herportraits of a garden beet, quince, apple, hydrangea,banana and a woods’ rose for note cards byCurePSP, an advocacy organization that seeks tocombat so-called prime of life neurodegenerative dis-eases like corticobasal degeneration and progressivesupranuclear palsy.
“Even as her physical capabilities diminished, herintellect remained crystalline and her sly Englishsense of humor intact,” David Kemp, president ofCurePSP, wrote in an email, recalling his visits withher. “She was the Audubon of plant life.”
Richard SandomirThe New York Times, Jan. 11, 2019
CATALOG
1. Leek and Green Peppers (Allium ampeloprasum and Capsicum annuum), 1972.Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wove paper, no visible watermark. Sightdimensions: 6 5/8” x 15” (16.8 x 38 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right,under image: Jessica Harris/1972
2. Yellow Bearded Iris (Iris x germanica), 1990. Watercolor and some pencil on mediumweight, off-white wove Arches paper, watermark at lower right: Arches/FRANCE. 24”x 18 1/4” (61 x 46.4 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image:Jessica Tcherepnine/1990. Embossed at lower left: VERITABLE PAPIER D’ARCH-ES/SATINE/SATINE
3. Purple Anemone (Anemone coronaria), 1992. Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wove paper, no visible watermark. Sight dimensions: 11 3/16” x 8 1/8” (28.4 x20.6 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: JessicaTcherepnine/1992
4. Hydrangea Flower Color Study (Hydrangea macrophylla), 1996. Watercolor and somepencil on medium weight, off-white wove paper, no watermark. 11 5/16” x 7 1/2”(28.7 x 19.1 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: JessicaTcherepnine/1996
5. Hydrangea Flower Color Study (Hydrangea macrophylla), 1996. Watercolor and somepencil on medium weight, off-white wove Arches paper, watermark at lower right:Arches/∞ FRANCE. 11 1/4” x 7 1/2” (28.6 x 19.1 cm). Signed and dated in pencil atlower right, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/1996. Embossed at lower right:AQUARELLE ARCHES
6. Hydrangea Flower Color Study (Hydrangea macrophylla), 1996. Watercolor and somepencil on medium weight, off-white wove paper, no watermark. 11 1/4” x 7 1/2” (28.6x 19.1 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: JessicaTcherepnine/1996
7. Witch Hazel in Bloom (Hamamelis mollis), 2001. Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wove paper, no visible watermark. Sight dimensions: 16” x 7 1/2” (40.6 x 19cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right: Jessica Tcherepnine/2001. Undatedexhibition label on frame backing, Lyme Art Association, Old Lyme, CT
8. Pine Branch with Shattered Cones (Pinus sp.), 2005. Watercolor and some pencil onheavy weight, off-white wove Fabriano paper, no watermark. 15” x 11 1/4” (38 x 28.6cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: JessicaTcherepnine/2005. On verso: embossed along right sheet edge: C.M. FABRIANO-100/100 COTTON
9. Crabapples (Malus sp.), 2005. Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight, off-white wove Fabriano paper, no watermark. 7 1/2” x 7 1/2” (19.1 x 19.1 cm). Signedand dated in pencil at lower right, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2005. Embossedalong left sheet edge: FABRIANO-100/100 COTTON
10. White Bird of Paradise Flower and Dried Inflorescence (Strelitzia Nicolai), 2005.Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wove paper, no visible watermark. Sightdimensions: 22” x 16 1/2” (56 x 42 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right,under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2005
11. Dried Rose Buds (Rosa sp.), 2006. Watercolor and some pencil on medium weight,off-white wove paper, no watermark. 11 7/8” x 9” (30.2 x 22.9 cm). Signed and datedin pencil at lower right, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2006
12. Chicken Eggs in Nest, 2006. Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wove paper, novisible watermark. Sight dimensions: 8” x 9 1/2” (20.3 x 24 cm). Signed and dated inpencil at lower right: Jessica Tcherepnine/2006
13. Quince (Cydonia oblonga), 2009. Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wovepaper, no visible watermark. Sight dimensions: 13” x 10 1/4” (33 x 26 cm). Signedand dated in pencil at lower right center: Jessica Tcherepnine/2009
14. Yellow Pear Tomatoes with Raffia (Solanum lycopersicum), 2009. Watercolor andsome pencil on heavy weight, off-white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark.12 1/4” x 9 1/8” (31.1 x 23.1 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, underimage: Jessica Tcherepnine/2009. Embossed at lower left: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO
15. Bush Bean Split Pods (Phaseolus vulgaris), 2012. Watercolor and some pencil onheavy weight, white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 22 1/8” x 15 1/8”(56.1 x 38.4 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: JessicaTcherepnine/2012. Embossed along right sheet edge: IANO ARTISTICO + FABRI-ANO ARTISTICO + FABRIANO
16. Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum), 2012. Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight,off-white wove paper, no watermark. 22” x 18 1/2” (55.9 x 46.9 cm). Signed and datedin pencil at lower right, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2012
17. Bird of Paradise Dried Inflorescence with Split Seed Capsules (Strelitzia nicolai),2012. Watercolor and some pencil on off-white wove paper, no visible watermark.Sight dimensions: 18” x 13 1/2” (46 x 34.3 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lowerright center, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2012
18. Winter Squash (Cucurbita pepo), 2012. Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight,white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 6 1/8” x 17 5/8” (15.5 x 44.7 cm).Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2012. Onverso: embossed along lower sheet edge: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO ARTISTICO + FAB
19. Black Walnut Unripe Fruit and Husk with Nut (Juglans nigra), 2012. Watercolor andsome pencil on off-white wove paper, no visible watermark. Sight dimensions: 11” x12” (28 x 30 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: JessicaTcherepnine/2012
20. Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans), 2012. Watercolor and some pencil on heavyweight, off-white wove paper, no watermark. 13 1/2” x 11 7/8” (34.3 x 30.2 cm).Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, under image: Jessica Tcherepnine/2012. Onverso: partial watercolor and pencil study
21. Faded Peruvian Lily (Alstroemeria cv.). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight,off-white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 22 3/4” x 15” (57.8 x 38.1cm). Embossed at upper left: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO. On verso: Estate stamp
22. Dragon’s Tongue Beans and Split Pods (Phaseolus vulgaris). Watercolor and somepencil on heavy weight, off-white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 225/8” x 18 1/4” (57.4 x 46.4 cm). Embossed at lower right: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO.On verso: Estate stamp
23. Hyacinth Bean Vine (Lablab purpureus). Watercolor and some pencil on mediumweight, off-white wove Arches paper, watermark at lower right: Arches/∞ FRANCE.20” x 15” (50.8 x 38.1 cm). Embossed at lower right: AQUARELLE ARCHES. Onverso: Estate stamp
24. Elliptic Yellowwood (Ochrosia elliptica) and Study. Watercolor and some pencil onheavy weight, off-white wove Fabriano paper, no watermark. 11 1/2” x 11 5/8” (29.2 x29.5 cm). Embossed along lower left sheet edge: COTTON. On verso: Estate stamp
25. Ackee Seedpods (Blighia sapida). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight, whitepaper, no watermark. 20” x 12 1/2” (50.8 x 31.8 cm). On verso: Estate stamp
26. West Indian Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni). Watercolor and some pencil on heavyweight, off-white wove paper, no watermark. 15 1/8” x 11 1/4” (38.1 x 28.6 cm). Onverso: Estate stamp
27. Japanese Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles japonica). Watercolor and some pencil onheavy weight, white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 11 7/8” x 10 3/4”(30 x 27.3 cm). Embossed along lower sheet edge: TICO + FABRIANOARTISTI[partial O]. On verso: Estate stamp
28. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight, whitewove paper, no watermark. 15” x 22” 38.1 x 55.9 cm). On verso: Estate stamp
29. Tree Peony Flowers and Seed Capsules (Paeonia sp). Watercolor and some pencil onheavy weight, off-white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 22 3/4” x 177/8” (57.8 x 45.5 cm). Embossed at lower right: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO. Onverso: Estate stamp
30. Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight, whitewove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 22 1/8” x 18 1/8” (56.1 x 46 cm).Embossed along left sheet edge: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO ARTISTICO + FABRI-ANO ARTIS. On verso: Estate stamp
31. Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight,white wove paper, no watermark. 22” x 18” (56 x 46 cm). On verso: Estate stamp
32. Three Anemones (Anemone coronaria). Watercolor and some pencil on mediumweight, off-white wove Arches paper, watermark at lower right: Arches/∞FRANCE/W. 22 3/8” x 15 1/8” (56.9 x 38.4 cm). On verso: Estate stamp
33. Red Anemone (Anemone coronaria). Watercolor and some pencil on medium weight,off-white wove paper, no watermark. 15” x 11 1/4” (38.1 x 28.6 cm). On verso: Estatestamp
34. Chanterelle Mushrooms in Leaf Litter (Cantharellus roseocanus). Watercolor andsome pencil on medium weight, off-white wove paper, no watermark. 15 1/8” x 111/4” (38.1 x 28.6 cm). On verso: Estate stamp
35. Dried Winter Squash Stems (Cucurbita sp.). Watercolor and some pencil on heavyweight, off-white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 14 7/8” x 22 7/8”(37.9 x 58.2 cm). On verso: Estate stamp; embossed at upper right: ARTISTICO +FABRIANO; pencil study of dried winter squash stems (cucurbita sp.)
36. Coconut Husk (Cocos nucifera). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight, whitewove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 12” x 11” (30.5 x 28 cm). Embossedalong lower sheet edge: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO. On verso: Estate stamp
37. Hyacinth Bean Seed Pods (Lablab purpureus). Watercolor and some pencil on heavyweight, off-white wove Fabriano paper, no watermark. 12” x 4 1/4” (30.5 x 10.8 cm).On verso: Estate stamp; embossed along left sheet edge: C.M. FABRIANO-100/100COTT
38. Decaying Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo). Watercolor and some pencil on heavy weight,off-white wove Fabriano Artistico paper, no watermark. 15 1/8” x 22 7/8” (38.4 x 58.2cm). Embossed at lower left: ARTISTICO + FABRIANO. On verso: Estate stamp
Back Cover. Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo), 1995. Watercolor and some pencil onheavy weight, white wove Arches paper, watermark at lower left: ARCHES/FRANCE.23 3/4” x 16 5/8” (60.3 x 39.6 cm). Signed and dated in pencil at lower right, underimage: Jessica Tcherepnine/1995. Embossed at lower left: AQUARELLE ARCHES
1
CATALOG
32
54
76
9
8
1110
13
12
1514
1716
19
18
2120
2322
25
24
2726
2928
3130
3332
35
34
37
36
38