Henri Fantin-Latour: Roses et capucines

HENRI FANTIN-LATOUR (French, 1836-1904), *Roses et capucines*, signed and dated ‘Fantin. 90’ (upper left), oil on canvas, 24 3⁄8 x 21 ½ in. (61.9 x 54.5 cm.), Painted in 1890, Image Source: Christie’s

“According to Pierre Courthion, “Not since the great Flemish masters has any artist been more capable of endowing flower painting with so much brilliance, so many shadings and so vivid a use of color than Fantin-Latour (P. Courthion, “Fantin-Latour, Painter of Flowers” in Henri Fantin-Latour, exh. cat., Acquavella Galleries, Inc., New York, 1966).

The extraordinary quality of Fantin-Latour’s images derives, in part, from the artist’s personal connection to his subject matter. He gathered many of his flowers from the garden of his house in Buri, France. In the present work, the combination of roses and nasturtium makes a splendid bouquet. Roses et capucines is remarkable in the meticulous quality of the brushwork, the brilliant character of the light, and the dynamism within the arrangement.”

READ FULL ESSAY: Christie’s