Pheasant with Green Apple

Wild energy pervades this mysterious representation of a dead pheasant, most likely the spoils of a hunt. Thick brushstrokes with jewel-toned hues of deep red, orange, yellow, and white describe the form and textures of the lifeless bird; markings of bright orange and red cascade down into a sweep of violet. According to Carles, “The color of freshly cut wood, of dried blood, or the color of clear stone, or of sand, or of any immovable thing in nature should be used for the fixtures of the picture.” 

Born in Philadelphia, Carles had a staggering impact on the development of American modernism and abstract painting both through his own work and his role as a teacher. He was a powerful and controversial instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts who embraced the modern age and introduced his students to the work and ideas of the European avant-garde. Paintings by several of his students are in Woodmere’s collection, including Quita Brodhead, Jane Piper, Faye Swengel Badura, Bernard Badura, Jessie Drew-Bear, Elizabeth Godshalk Burger, Morris Blackburn, and Leon Kelly.

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