High Museum acquires Samuel Johnson Woolf’s ‘Brown the Wheats’
Samuel Johnson Woolf (American, 1880-1948), ‘Brown the Wheats,’ 1913. Oil on canvas. Purchase through funds provided by patrons of Collectors Evening 2022, 2022.75. Image courtesy of the High Museum of Art
ATLANTA — Samuel Johnson Woolf’s Brown the Wheats, recently acquired by the High Museum of Art, is big on color and chock-full of concept. Painted in 1913, the charged scene is executed in a range of tones that distinguish the haves from the have-nots. As for sentimental appeal, it is neither an idealized scene nor a picturesque vision of tenement life. It is instead discomfiting in its directness and at the same time captivating for its unresolved drama — and a welcome addition to the High’s collection. The work was purchased in May 2022 with funds provided by patrons of that year’s Collectors Evening.