Nasturtiums in Vase

Inscriptions

Signed, in graphite, lower right: Ilse Bischoff; Heydenryk frame label on reverse

Label

Every line and vein in these nasturtiums and their curled leaves compels us to look more closely at the vibrant blooms. Flower paintings are often associated with the transience of life because of their subject’s inherent impermanence. The fallen nasturtium suggests the inevitable wilting that will soon occur here.

Ilse Bischoff’s preferred paint was casein, which mixes pigment with milk to create a fast-drying paint with a glue-like consistency. Because it dries so quickly, it is unforgiving, and artists cannot readily fix or correct errors. Casein artworks are impressive for the degree of precision required to manipulate the paint itself.

From the 2024 exhibition Beyond the Bouquet: Arranging Flowers in American Art, curated by Michael Hartman, Jonathan Little Cohen Associate Curator of American Art

Exhibition History

Beyond the Bouquet: Arranging Flowers in American Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, December 18, 2024 - late 2025.

Provenance

The artist (1901-1990), Hartland, Vermont; given to her sister, Carola Bischoff Terwilliger (1899-1984), South Woodstock, Vermont; bequeathed to present collection, 1986.

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Subjects