Wrapping up August with Haiku

The last day of summer is technically one month away. But with the cooler temperatures and back-to-school activities, everyone is feeling the season coming to a close as the month ends. As a farewell to a season that brought stunning heat, powerful storms, winning baseball, iced coffee, and Mars rover mania, we present some August-themed haiku by Phillips’ staff paired with summertime images from the permanent collection. We welcome your haiku or other verse in the comments.

 

John Henry Twachtman,  Summer

John Henry Twachtman, Summer, late 1890’s, Oil on canvas; 30 x 53 in.; 76.2 x 134.62 cm. Acquired 1919. The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

In August I moved

Which has both good and bad points

But now it is done

 

-Sue Nichols, Chief Operating Officer

Congenial Spirits: Summer at Home

(Left) John Henry Twachtman, My Summer Studio, c. 1900. Oil on canvas, 30 1/8 x 30 1/8 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Acquired 1919. (Right) John Henry Twachtman, Summer, late 1890's. Oil on canvas, 30 x 53 in.; The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Acquired 1919.

American impressionist John Henry Twachtman captures the atmosphere of his homes in Gloucester, Massachusetts (left) and Greenwich, Connecticut (right), in the thick of summer. A change in Twachtman’s style is immediately evident in these works created roughly ten years apart. The square format of My Summer Studio, the later of the two, reflects the artist’s interest in Japanese art, and the palette and brushwork is more intense. Both are on view with fellow American painters in the west parlor of the house.