Transcendence: Morris Graves

Morris Graves, Still Life with Root Vegetables, c. 1930s. Photo: Courtesy of the Woodside Braseth Gallery

Transcendence: Morris Graves

Woodside Braseth Gallery, Seattle, WA - To May 1

by Matthew Kangas

The saga of the “Big Four” or “mystic” painters of the Northwest School never seems to end. With these treasures by Morris Graves, the most notorious of the group, viewers get a clear picture of themes he followed throughout his career: nature, still lifes, animals and fi sh. Famously leaving rice paper out in the rain to “season,” Graves used sumi ink and tempera to elevate endangered flora and fauna that inhabit the region’s undergrowth, tidal flats and old-growth forests.

Share this: