Rooftops and Trees
1918
Medium
watercolor over graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 25.4 × 35.56 cm (10 × 14 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Bequest of George Biddle)
Accession Number
2014.136.209
Art Historical Context
Charles Demuth's *Rooftops and Trees (1918) captures the intimate interplay of urban architecture and nature in a delicate watercolor over graphite on wove paper measuring 10 × 14 inches. Created during the final year of World War I, this drawing reflects Demuth's early exploration of American cityscapes, blending the geometric precision of rooftops with the organic flow of treetops. As a pioneering Precisionist, Demuth drew inspiration from European modernists like Cézanne and the Cubists, yet infused his work with a distinctly American sensibility, foreshadowing his later iconic industrial s...