1990s Rhett Thurman “Rainy Battery 11” Original Charleston Watercolor — Signed & Framed

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Description

Original watercolor by noted Charleston artist Rhett Thurman (b. 1943), titled “Rainy Battery.” Dating to the 1990s, the work depicts … Read more Original watercolor by noted Charleston artist Rhett Thurman (b. 1943), titled “Rainy Battery.” Dating to the 1990s, the work depicts the historic architecture along Charleston’s famed Battery on a rainy day. Signed “Rhett” at lower right, with the title “Rainy Battery” retained on a label affixed to the original backing.

The composition is quintessential Thurman: Charleston architecture is rendered with fluid, economical linework while washes of coral, turquoise, lavender, blue, ochre, and green dissolve into atmospheric passages of light. Rather than treating the architecture rigidly, Thurman allows portions of the buildings and street to disappear into color and rain—a particularly appealing example of the luminous approach for which her work became known.

Presented in its period gilt frame with a wide neutral mat. The original backing remains intact with the “Rainy Battery” identification label on the reverse. Please see photographs for condition and framing details.

About the Artist

Rhett Thurman grew up in Gramling, South Carolina, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and moved to Charleston in 1970, where she became an important member of the city’s developing contemporary art community. A graduate of Queens College in Charlotte with a degree in Studio Art, she received the college’s 1995 Outstanding Alumna Award.

Thurman achieved national recognition in both oil and watercolor. Her work has been exhibited with the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, and Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club in New York, and is represented in private, corporate, and museum collections. She also served as president of the South Carolina Watercolor Society, was a longtime faculty member at the Gibbes Museum of Art, and taught painting workshops nationally and internationally.

Thurman has painted Charleston for more than five decades and is particularly associated with her expressive handling of light and color. Her work occupies an important place within Charleston’s modern artistic tradition, particularly her evocative interpretations of the city’s architecture and streetscapes.

Title: Rainy Battery
Artist: Rhett Thurman (American, b. 1943)
Period: 1990s
Medium: Original watercolor on paper
Subject: The Battery, Charleston, South Carolina
Signature: Signed “Rhett,” lower right
Presentation: Matted and framed in gilt frame
Identification: “Rainy Battery” label retained on reverse See less