“Stop to appreciate this intimate yet unsettling portrait of two figures enveloped in a vivid floral embrace. Its raw emotion and unique color palette offer a powerful glimpse into a complex moment in time.”
In this vibrant gouache, two figures emerge from a riot of flowers, their forms intertwined and their gazes directed outward. The woman, with her dark hair and serene expression, rests her head on the man's shoulder, while he, with an almost pensive look, holds a single bloom. The deliberately awkward drawing and bold lines give the scene a raw, expressive energy, a characteristic of Philip Evergood's style. Painted in 1945, at the close of World War II, the work's blend of sensuousness and a slightly unsettling mood suggests a complex emotional landscape. The rich, unconventional colors, particularly the deep reds and blues that dominate the composition, contribute to this intensely personal atmosphere, inviting viewers to consider the quiet intimacy and underlying tension within the embrace.
- Artist
- Philip Evergood
- Date
- 1945
- Medium
- Gouache on cream wove paper
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- 59.5 × 50.9 cm (23 7/16 × 20 1/16 in.)
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The way the flowers seem to grow directly from the figures' bodies.
The man's hand, gently holding a single, delicate red flower.
The woman's serene expression contrasted with the man's more somber gaze.
The vibrant, almost clashing colors used for the skin tones and foliage.
1 more detail is waiting.
See all 5 in Art Whisper →Philip Evergood
1901–1973 · United StatesPhilip Evergood, a social realist painter, captured the grit and vitality of American life with a unique blend of reality and fantasy, often with a cartoonish quality.
Further Works by Evergood
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Greyed Rainbow
Jackson Pollock · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago
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Sun Spot
Yayoi Kusama · 1953 · Art Institute of Chicago
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Deux personnages
Pierre Alechinsky · 1950
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Impregnazione
Piero Manzoni · 1958
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The Temptation of St. Anthony
Ivan Puni · 1945 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Nighthawks
Okada Saburosuke · 1942 · Art Institute of Chicago
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Red No. 2
Sam Francis · 1954 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Summer Night in Arizona
Max Ernst · 1944 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Freedom from Want
Norman Rockwell · 1943 · Norman Rockwell Museum
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Untitled (Woman-Bottle)
René Magritte · 1943 · Art Institute of Chicago
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Dancing Girl
Paul Klee · 1940 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1930s–1960s
Study for a Composition
Piet Mondrian · 1940 · Art Institute of Chicago





