Devore Hills

ClassificationsPaintings-watercolors

Artist Milford Zornes (American, 1908 - 2008)

Date1957

Made AtSan Bernardino, California, United States, North America

Place DepictedSan Bernardino, California, United States, North America

MediumWatercolor on paper

DimensionsApproximately: 13 1/2 × 21 in. (34.3 × 53.3 cm)
Framed: 24 3/8 × 32 × 7/8 in. (61.9 × 81.3 × 2.2 cm)

Credit LineAnn and Bill Cullen Memorial Collection

Object number2018.6.47

DescriptionLike many of the California Scene Painters, Milford Zornes was a part of the California Water Color Society, a tight-knit group of many of the most famous Californian watercolorists. Predominantly active in the 1930s and pre-war ‘40s, the group pushed each other to the limit of their abilities. It is no coincidence that all of these painters went on to become well-recognized artists. Following World War II, the group went their separate ways. When Zornes returned to California in 1955, the art scene now favored non-objective art even over the increasingly abstract works painted by Zornes. This scene of the hills behind San Bernardino, not far from his Claremont home, was made during a relatively awkward period in Zornes’ work. He was still having trouble, “determining when the painting was finished,” and felt that he often overworked his paintings to the point that they were too representational. As with Brandt and other California Water Color Society artists, Zornes takes advantage of his medium, using the white background as much watercolor to create the image.

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