Art is the Solution

Rubens Peale with a Geranium Source: National Gallery of Art As summer gets into full swing, I wanted to bring you a painting that I encountered when I was surfing the internet the other day. This piece, entitled Rubens Peale with a Geranium , was created by American artist Rembrandt Peale—a native of Philadelphia—in 1801. The painting depicts the artist’s brother Rubens Peale (a botanist) with a geranium plant, supposedly the first geranium ever grown in America. I was initially drawn to this painting because I was shocked that it took someone until 1801 to grow a geranium in the US. As many of you probably know, geraniums are pretty easy to grow. Basically, you just need to give them a decent amount of light and water. However, geraniums are native to southern Africa, so I suppose it’s understandable that it took them awhile to get to the Americas. In terms of the style, the painting demonstrates a high degree of realism. Peele presents his brother’s achievement without fanfare o...