Fleurs de cerisier

Henri Fantin-Latour painted numerous sketches of flowers and fruit to great acclaim in England, resulting in the acceptance of his still-lifes in the 1862 Royal Academy exhibition in London. The following year the American artist James McNeill Whistler purchased several of his still-lifes and commissioned several others. Despite his explosive success in London, his reputation spread more quietly in Paris, however, he was held in high regard among a small circle of fellow painters and critics in the Batignolles group; whose best known member was Edouard Manet. Painted in 1872, the present lot reveals Fantin-Latour’s mastery of still-life painting. The Cherry Blossom flowers form patterns across the green of the foliage, resulting in an intriguing interplay of tones and textures which show the lightness and delicacy of the individual petals. This is set against the neutral colour tones of the background which infuse the composition with a distinctive three dimensional quality.