LOUIS MARIE DE SCHRYVER

Private American Collection since circa 1900

Louis de Schryver, born to a life of privilege, was ideally suited to capture the Beau Monde of late 19th century Paris. His beautifully rendered street scenes evoke the Belle Époque concerns of fashionably clad women, shown in the foreground searching out the freshest blooms. The two ladies depicted with the flower seller both look very much like de Schryver’s young cousin, who posed for many of his paintings. The backdrop of this intimate scene is a very lively one; the Madeleine in the distance is flanked by the impressive buildings of the Place de la Concorde, which are brightened with striped awnings. The fountain’s high reaching water spray enlivens the scene. The beautiful mother at right in her stylish dress and hat, with her daughter holding a hoop toy, along with men in top hats and canes at far left, offer the viewer a window onto the excitement of Parisian life at this time. The fancy clothes and accessories of all these characters speak to the social importance of seeing and being seen. The artist painted the flower sellers of Paris over and over, and their presence on the boulevards symbolized Parisians’ unquenchable desire for beauty, color and scent.