Accession Number
1997/1.145

Title
Cherries in a Dish

Artist(s)
Bradley Walker Tomlin

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
circa 1925

Medium & Support
pastel on paper

Dimensions
11 7/16 in x 9 3/4 in (29.05 cm x 24.77 cm);22 1/8 in x 18 1/8 in (56.2 cm x 46.04 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of the Lannan Foundation in Honor of the Pelham Family

Label copy
A pioneer of Abstract Expressionism, Bradley Walker Tomlin had early on expressed a keen interest in the work of the Cubists. During the 1920s, Gertrude Stein introduced Tomlin to Georges Braque, an artist Tomlin greatly admired. Both Tomlin and Braque were perhaps the most lyrical practitioners of the artistic groups to which they belonged. Showing influences ranging from Art Deco to sentimental Realism, Tomlin’s early style gave way to full Abstract Expressionism through his close associations with Jackson Pollock, Adolph Gottlieb, Philip Guston, and Robert Motherwell.
Tomlin’s less well-known early work demonstrates an affinity with the work of Georgia O’Keeffe and Marsden Hartley. Cherries in a Dish dates from this phase of Tomlin’s career and combines not only his knowledge of these great American painters but also his knowledge of Paul Cézanne, as demonstrated in the way the dish is so steeply tilted up to show its contents.

Sean M. Ulmer, University Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, for "A Matter of Degree: Abstraction in Twentieth-Century Art," November 10, 2001 - January 27, 2002

Subject matter
This drawing is from the early part of Tomlin's career which shows an affinity with the work of Georgia O’Keeffe and Marsden Hartley. It also indicates his knowledge of Paul Cézanne, as demonstrated in the way the dish is so steeply tilted up to show its contents.

Physical Description
This is a drawing of three golden cherries in a circular, light colored dish which has scalloped edges. The dish is sitting on a tan table against a dark background. The edge of the table creates a dramatic diagonal from top left to bottom right.

Primary Object Classification
Drawing

Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
cherries
cherry (plant)
dishes
dishes (vessels)
modern and contemporary art
still lifes
table
tables (support furniture)