Georges de Feure

Pierre-Michel Bardou-Job;

By inheritance to Mlle J., niece-by-law of the above;

By inheritance to the present owner.

Paris; Toulon; Pau, Le Symbolisme et la Femme, February-August 1986, no. 18;

Tokyo, Odakyu Grand Gallery and Osaka, Daimaru Museum, Umeda, Georges de Feure, July-September 1990, no. 23;

Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, Georges de Feure, 1868-1943, November 1993-February 1994, no. 28;

Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Musée départemental Maurice Denis and Gingins, Fondation Neumann, Georges de Feure. Du symbolisme à l’art nouveau (1890-1905), March–September 1995, no. 25.

M. Croisilles, 'Georges de Feure', in La Revue Artistique et Industrielle. L'Art dans la vie, vol. VII, May 1901;

I. Millman, Georges De Feure, Maître du Symbolisme et de l’Art Nouveau, Courbevoie 1992, pp. 114 and 117. 

A popular theme in Art Nouveau during the 1890s, the woman-flower appealed to many artists, including Georges de Feure. In the journal The Studio, in November 1897, Uzanne notes that De Feure was working on a series of women symbolizing flowers, intended for publication in the form of a book, with the title Fémini-flores. According to Ian Millman, the present painting, Woman with an iris, did not belong to this series, although it was produced around the same time, but like the series it was a reflection of De Feure’s interest in feminine mystique and plant forms.

The influence of Fleurs du mal is apparent in many of the artist’s works. The association of women with floral motifs gave De Feure opportunities to create many compositions; this is one of his most harmonious. De Feure used his future wife, Marguerite Guibert, as the model; instead of depicting a femme fatale, he has portrayed the woman as a deity, holding the traditional attribute of the goddess Iris.