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Frédéric Bazille (artist) French, 1841 - 1870 Young Woman with Peonies, 1870 oil on canvas Overall: 60 x 75 cm (23 5/8 x 29 1/2 in.) framed: 83.8 x 99.4 x 7.6 cm (33 x 39 1/8 x 3 in.) Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon 1983.1.6 |
Object 6 of 7
Perhaps because he died so young—killed during the Franco-Prussian War only days short of his twenty-ninth birthday—Bazille’s name is less familiar than those of the other founders of impressionism. Bazille met Monet, Renoir, and Sisley as fellow students in the studio of painter Charles Gleyre. The four were unimpressed by the lofty religious and mythological subjects and polished painting style demanded by the academic tradition. They were attracted instead to the broad “unfinished” brushwork of Manet and also shared his preference for scenes of modern life.
This painting can be seen as Bazille’s homage to Manet. The flower vendor appears to be a reference to the black woman with the extravagant bouquet who stands behind Manet’s infamous nude Olympia. The flowers themselves, especially the prominent peonies, also offer a kind of tribute. Manet cultivated peonies and often painted their lush blooms. Here Bazille seems to have matched even his painting style—usually more smoothly blended—to Manet’s own, echoing with his brushstrokes Manet’s thick patches of color.
Bazille, who was from a well-to-do family in the south of France, came originally to Paris to study medicine. Better off than his friends Monet and Renoir, he often helped them by buying their canvases and offering shelter, and on occasion dispensing limited medical advice.
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