Lotus
1945
Morris Graves
American, born Fox Valley, Oregon, 1910; died Loleta, California, 2001
Some have seen this luminous lotus flower as Graves’ response to the atomic bomb dropping on Hiroshima. The artist was unnerved by the tragic news and determined that he should work to aid the victims. His affinities with the Japanese people had
been long lasting and deep—he had once referred to them as “human flowers.” Yet, his references to the lotus were undoubtedly many-layered. In Buddhist religion, the lotus is an object of meditation and enlightenment, which helps to explain the brilliance of the bloom here. This lotus may have been Graves’ intentional change of direction from the dark wartime paintings, an expression of the power of light over the forces of darkness.
Transparent and opaque watercolor on laminated papers
42 1/2 x 24 1/2 in. (108 x 62.2 cm)
Gift of the Marshall and Helen Hatch Collection, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
2009.52.19
Photo: Elizabeth Mann
