Still life of white, pink, and red camellias scattered over a table and on a red plate. Two whi…

Playing with Reds

Artist Emma Cheves Wilkins (American, 1870 - 1956)

Datec. 1931

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsCanvas: 25 1/8 × 32 7/8 inches (63.8 × 83.5 cm)
Framed: 30 × 37 3/4 × 1 inches (76.2 × 95.9 × 2.5 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase.

Object number1931.1

On View

On view

Copyright© Estate of Emma Cheves Wilkins. 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 TextSavannah native Emma Cheves Wilkins was one of many women who played a pivotal role in the development of the arts in Savannah in the early years of the twentieth century. She began her studies at the Telfair under director Carl Brandt, and then traveled to Paris, where she studied at the Académie Colarossi, one of the leading private ateliers of the time. After her return to Savannah she taught art to other local women, including Hattie Saussy and Augusta Oelschig. This still life shows her command of the dark color palette and bravura brushwork of the Munich School and the aesthetics of contemporary Parisian art. Wilkins explores the aesthetic issues created by the repeated use of the color red, in the camellias, the ceramics, and the reflections on the polished tabletop and brass coffee urn. Camellias were a favorite subject among Savannah artists. In the 1940s and 50s, Telfair hosted a series of “Camellia in Art” exhibitions.

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