Iris
Artist
Reuben Jackson Gambrell
(American, 1917 - 2006)
Date1938
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsFramed: 34 3/8 × 26 3/8 inches (87.3 × 67 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase.
Object number1999.3
On View
Not on view
See Also - Artist/Same Artist
Copyright© Estate of Reuben Jackson Gambrell.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextPainted in 1938 when the artist was just twenty-one years old, Iris is striking for its wash of gentle purple hues and for its subtle composition. Gambrell created three different areas of color: the background flower painting, the sitter’s coat, and the tablecloth at the lower left. These vivid tones are balanced by the figure’s black hair, eyebrows and necktie, and by the neutral background. The gently curving pose of Gambrell’s subject is both echoed and countered by the sway of the iris.
A native of South Carolina, Gambrell received the first Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia, working under the direction of Lamar Dodd. From 1946-47 Gambrell taught at the University of Georgia’s extension at Hunter Army Air Field, and he served as an art instructor at the Telfair in the 1950s.