Wild Roses and Irises

John La Farge

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

When La Farge painted flowers in oil during the 1860s, he preferred to capture their essence rather than to pursue scientific accuracy. The superb floral watercolors that he painted in the 1880s recall his earlier oils, but their rich color bespeaks his mastery of the watercolor medium and their decorative vitality reflects his experiments in stained glass. An astute critic remarked, "His flowers have no botanical truth, but are burning with love and beauty."

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art