The Gems of Brazil - Hummingbirds and Orchids oil paintings

Martin Johnson Heade was born in 1819 in a small village in Pennsylvania. His first exhibition was in 1841 at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, followed in 1843 by an exposition at the National Academy of Design in New York.
As a young man Heade had begun to travel. At the beginning he went to Europe, stopping two years in Rome, then, from 1863, he dedicated himself to tropical countries, visiting Brazil several times, from 1863 to 1866, then Nicaragua in 1870 and finally Colombia, Panama and Jamaica. He defined himself as an "itinerant" artist.
Many artists and scientists undertook similar trips at that time, they documented exotic plants and animals, studied and draw them.

'' Hummingbird Perched near Passion Flowers '', oil painting , Image Source

'' Hummingbird and Passionflowers '' , oil painting , Image Source

Heade began painting hummingbirds in 1862. The jewel-like plumage of the birds and the quivering movements their tiny wings had allways fascinated him.
In Brazil he began a series of pictures called ''The Gems of Brazil'', small painting series for a planned book which depicts the great variety of hummingbirds in landscape settings. Unfortunately Heade's book was never published due to financial difficulty and his concerns about the quality of the reproductions.

'' Orchids and Hummingbird III '' , oil painting , Image Source

In 1883, at age 64, he settled in St. Augustine, Florida. This was the period of the magnolias, the views of Florida and the still lifes with non-exotic flowers.

'' Magnolias on Gold Velvet Cloth '' , oil painting , Image Source

Heade was never famous in his life. His works attracted the attention of scholars, art historians and collectors only around 1940. His works were then sought and rediscovered in private collections and forgotten warehouses.
Heade was immediately recognized as one of the greatest American artists and today the most important museums of the world exhibit his paintings.
In 2004 the memory of Heade was honoured with the postage stamp of the American Post showing his painting " Giant Magnolia on a blue velvet cloth ".

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