Félix Vallotton

Paul Vallotton, Lausanne
Succession F. Vallotton, Paris
Jacques Rodrigues-Henriques, Paris
Collection Snawaert, Ostende
Sotheby's, London, 02.12.1971
Privatbesitz, Schweiz

Zürich, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Félix Vallotton, 1920, Nr. 25 (Groseilles et capucines)

Marina Ducrey, unter der Mitarbeit von Katia Poletti, Félix Vallotton 1865-1925, l'oeuvre peint, catalogue raisonné, Bd. III, Lausanne/Zürich/Milan 2005, S.711, Nr. 1300, abgebildet

Not relined. Minor colour abrasion in the green to left of the bottle. Diagonal dent of ca 5 cm next to the flowers. Under UV-light retouching along to the left and right edges and above the signature. Minor retouching in the green to the right of the composition. Good condition
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Félix Vallotton begann als junger Maler ab 1887 in den Louvre zu gehen, um dort Gemälde der grossen Meister zu kopieren, sowie auch Stillleben zu malen. In beiden Fällen setzte er sich intensiv mit der Stofflichkeit der Gegenstände auseinander, sei es bei der Wiedergabe von einer Fruchtschale, von Blumen oder von Textilien.
Bezeichnend für Vallottons Bilder ist die leicht herabfallende Perspektive auf die Objekte. Ebenfalls typisch ist die Wiedergabe der Lichtreflexe auf der Oberfläche der Gegenstände, welche darauf ausgerichtet sind, das Volumen und die Materialität realistisch und natürlich widerzugeben. Das vorliegende Bild kombiniert Blumen mit Früchten, zwei Motive, die Vallotton gerne miteinander in seinen Kompositionen verband. Die Blüten der Kapuzinerkresse und die Johannisbeeren bilden in diesem Stillleben das zentrale Bildelement. Die Weinflasche im Hintergrund und das einfache Geschirr zeugen von einer rustikalen Umgebung, die in zahlreichen Stillleben des Malers zu entdecken ist. Die Kapuzinerkresse gehört mit der Anemone zu den beliebtesten Blumensorten des Künstlers, da sie sich mit ihrer natürlichen Schlichtheit wunderbar in den Kontext seiner Bildfindungen einfügen.

Félix Vallotton began visiting the Louvre from 1887 as a young painter, both to imitate great masters’ works and to paint still lifes. In both cases he took great interest in the materiality of objects, be it the representation of a fruit bowl, flowers or textiles.
Characteristic in Vallotton’s paintings is the slightly downward-looking perspective on the objects. Also typical is the representation of the reflection of light on the objects’ surface – these are aligned so as to reflect volume and substance in a realistic and natural way.

The painting at hand combines flowers with fruits, two motifs which Vallotton liked to bring together in his compositions. The nasturtium blossom and the redcurrants form the central element in this still life. The wine bottle in the background and the simple china suggest rustic surroundings, typical of the painter’s work. The nasturtium and the anemone are two of the painter’s favourite flowers as their natural simplicity is perfectly in keeping with his visual style.