Hedge and Cypress

George Murphy, Hedge and Cypress, 1977, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1985.30.52
Copied George Murphy, Hedge and Cypress, 1977, oil on canvas, 27 1⁄2 x 27 1⁄2 in. (69.8 x 69.8 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1985.30.52

Artwork Details

Title
Hedge and Cypress
Artist
Date
1977
Location
Dimensions
27 1⁄2 x 27 1⁄2 in. (69.8 x 69.8 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Landscape — plant
  • Landscape — phenomenon — light
  • Landscape — road — path
  • Landscape — tree — cypress tree
Object Number
1985.30.52
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.30.52

Artwork Description

Hedge and Cypress was the first work George Murphy created after moving to Florence, Italy, in March 1977. He based the painting on a photograph he had taken during a trip the previous summer to a Roman theater in Fiesole, just outside Florence. Murphy also made three preparatory sketches of the scene to experiment with the relationship between the tree and the path. The oil painting was completed in a studio apartment overlooking the Piazza Santa Croce. Here and in other works featuring bushes and trees, he wanted the objects to dominate the painting and to take on a more forceful presence, rather than serve the traditional role of background imagery.