Jeune femme lisant et vase de fleurs

Provenance:
Private Collection, France
Private Collection, London, from 1980s
Private Collection, USA

Literature:
Denise Bazetoux, Henri Lebasque, Catalogue raisonné, vol. I, Neuilly-sur-Marne, 2008, no. 720, illustrated p. 203

This work is accompanied by a photo certificate from Denise Bazetoux (18 Nov 1994).

This painting captures Lebasque at the very height of his powers. Through his expert handling of the brush, the artist has created a canvas of beautiful surface texture that shimmers with intensity of color. Particular highlights are the brilliant rendering of the translucence of the water in the flower vase and the delicacy of the portrait of the girl reading, capturing her concentration as she unconsciously fingers the page in right hand. The palpable freshness of the air, scent of the flowers and tranquility of the moment combine to make this a richly enjoyable painting.

Jeune fille lisant et vase de fleurs exemplifies the pleasure Henri Lebasque took in observing and recreating scenes of familial contentment. For models Lebasque most often selected his daughters Marthe and Nono (born in 1895 and 1900 respectively), and they appear together at a slightly younger age in Jeunes filles lisant dans le parc (illustrated; Sotheby’s, New York, 8 November 2006, lot 199). It is highly plausible that the present work depicts a member of his immediate family. In later life, Marthe recalled:

“Come here for a little look”, the artist would say, and the daughters would be caught for a short while as his swift brush conveyed their forms to the canvas’ (L. A. Banner, Lebasque 1865-1937, San Francisco, 1986, p. 38).

By choosing to concentrate on those with whom he was intimately acquainted, Lebasque avoided any risk of contrivance or artifice on the part of his subjects, for few professional models would be so at ease in the presence of an artist. This contributes to the air of repose that pervades his painting.

The candour of the scene of Jeune fille lisant et vase de fleurs is consistent with the aims of Intimism, a mode of painting that focused on tranquil scenes of domestic life. In this respect the work reveals the influence brought to bear on Lebasque by Bonnard and Vuillard, with whose work he had become acquainted as fellow student of Léon Bonnat in the late 1880s. It is characteristic of Intimist style that the figure is apparently unaware of the presence of the artist, which is the case with many of Lebasque’s paintings of his children. He also avoided a detailed portrayal of the figure’s features, which makes it difficult to identify which of his daughters this is. The later painting, Le Jardin au Pradet (illustrated; Christie’s, London, 26 June 2001, lot 170), where Lebasque hid the face of his subject behind the vase of flowers, provides a more acute example of this practice.

The element of still-life in Jeune fille lisant et vase de fleurs, combined with its monumental proportions, distinguishes this painting as particularly rare in Lebasque’s oeuvre. The vibrancy and flamboyance of his rendition of the cut flowers, however, shows that he found ample inspiration in the genre. Similarly, the colorific possibilities of fruit captivated him in his smaller painting, Coupe de Fruits (illustrated; Sotheby’s, New York, 3 November 2005, lot 205).