1840/41–1916

Marie Bracquemond

Marie Bracquemond is one of the female Impressionists who was significant and gained recognition during her time but later faded from art history. This is despite her participation in the famous and groundbreaking impressionist exhibitions that forever changed the art world. During her relatively short career, Marie Bracquemond created a versatile body of work, including paintings, drawings, prints, and ceramics. The piece Bouquet of Flowers by the Window is the first work by Marie Bracquemond to be acquired by a public collection in Denmark.

Themes and Subjects: Portraits, studies of predominantly female models, still lifes, and scenes from in and around her home in the Parisian suburb of Sèvres.

Marie Bracquemond

Bouquet of Flowers by the Window

Undated

Oil on canvas

41 x 33 cm

Olie på lærred

41 x 33 cm

Bouquet of Flowers by the Window depicts a bouquet of flowers arranged in a vase designed by Marie Bracquemond’s husband, Félix Bracquemond, and was likely painted in the couple’s own home. Like most other female Impressionists, Bracquemond primarily painted scenes from the private sphere, as it was not socially acceptable at the time for female artists to work alone outside the home.

The work is undated, but we know that in 1886, Marie Bracquemond met Paul Gauguin, with whom she painted in Sèvres and exhibited at the 8th Impressionist Exhibition. At Gauguin’s suggestion, Bracquemond began mixing oil paint with chalk to achieve a matte effect reminiscent of pastel painting. She also started using shorter and more fragmented brushstrokes, which is particularly evident in a series of still lifes, among which Bouquet of Flowers by the Window stands out for its vibrant use of color.

Style: Impressionism