Eugène BAUDIN (1843 - 1907), Flower bouquet

Oil on canvas. Signed lower left. Framed.

This oil on canvas by Eugène Baudin, measuring 32 × 40 cm, depicts a sumptuous bouquet of flowers in a vase set upon a table. True to the 19th?century still?life tradition, the artist favors a dynamic, exuberant composition. The flowers, rendered in warm hues—reds, pinks, yellows, and whites—seem to leap from the vase, animated by vibrant play of light. Baudin’s broad, energetic brushstrokes convey great spontaneity and reveal an Impressionist influence. The background, treated in dark, blurred expanses, heightens the brilliance of the floral colors. Mastering the art of contrast, Baudin opposes the delicacy of the petals to the solidity of the vase, which shimmers with blue and ochre highlights. The whole radiates a warm, lively atmosphere in which nature is celebrated in all its luxuriance and fragility, reflecting the artist’s sensitive regard for the vegetal world.

Enrolled at a young age at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, he studied under Marc Laurent Bruyas, flower painter Jean-Marie Reignier, and Jean-Claude Bonnefond. His first exhibition took place at the Salon de Lyon in 1863, and he earned a gold medal there in 1905. He also exhibited in Paris, where a posthumous retrospective of his work was organized at the Salon d’Automne in 1907.

In 1865, he opened a drawing studio with his friend Méssoniat while working as a designer for the silk company Agnès, Bresson et Cie. However, in 1896, he decided to abandon this profession to devote himself fully to landscape painting. He primarily captured scenes from Lyon, Brittany, and the Mediterranean.

Baudin's landscapes are notable for their sometimes dramatic execution, with thick layers of paint and bold contrasts in color. His sumptuous floral compositions share the same brilliance and audacity. Conversely, his approach becomes more restrained and delicate in his depictions of nudes or symbolist landscapes, reflecting the versatility and sensitivity of his art.