Vertigo of Color

Upon recently seeing the exhibition,“Vertigo of Color”, on Fauvism at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC, I couldn’t resist but borrow the title. The featured Fauvists: Matisse and Derain, would have had a field day in New England as they once had over one hundred years ago in the South of France. This piece though is “simply” on deciduous trees such as maples, birches, tupelos and katsuras that, before shedding their leaves, burst into outrageous colors come autumn. One could easily use the word “fauve” i.e. wild when referring to their almost overnight transformation.

Ambers, rusty browns, lemon yellows, cardinal and burgundy reds, and even shades of eggplant as in copper beeches, make for our own local vertigo of color. A last gasp of breath before dormancy. In six months they will be revealing new life.

One of my favorite fall trees is Nyssa sylvatica or Tupelo aka Black Gum, native to the US East coast. Not only are its autumn leaves reminiscent of a juicy tangerine or a mango but its pyramid-like form harkens to a Chinese pagoda. Its Latin name, Nyssa, refers to a Greek water nymph and sylvatica signifies woodlands. The lovely sounding name,Tupelo comes from the Native American Creek language.

Another native woody plant but closer to a large shrub and rarely used in cultivated landscapes is the rather disheveled, ratty looking Staghorn Sumac. Redeeming it are its elongated drooping leaves that make for one of the hottest colors in the fall palette. Many varieties exist. However, the “staghorn” is thus named for its large protruding flower resembling, yes, a stag horn. (Sorry no photo here.) However, you would recognize its large, striking crimson, velvety flowers with dense clusters of red berries that emerge in late summer. When dried, they offer medicinal and culinary properties including exotic spices used as far as the Middle East for hummus.

And then we have the traditional red maple. In the photo below its color is further accentuated by the barn door and an intriguing white and blue structure. A fancy dumpster?

And then we have the range of yellows that brighten up our shorter days. Golden pleasures appear courtesy of the Japanese Katsura tree and a stand of more muted Siberian Birches on a cloudy day.

Offering a second wind for autumn colors was a recent drive along the Taconic Parkway to New York City. Here, just around the corner from the Metropolitan Museum, awaited Central Park where I found myself lost in the abundant maze of trails. Like the exhibition though, it was a feast for the eyes and soul.

You can check out the exhibition here: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/vertigo-of-color