Louis Janmot | Fleur des champs, 1845 | Masterpieces

Flower of the Fields / Fleur des champs, is an 1845 painting on wood by Lyon artist, Louis Janmot (1814-1892).

It was acquired in 1893 by the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon where it has been conserved.

Depiction of a young woman

The painting shows a young woman who is sitting in a nature scene, surrounded with flowers and butterflies.

She has two flower bouquets in her hands: one laid down on her knees, composed of buttercups, daisies and cornflowers, the other one held vertically is composed of poppies.

In the background, the landscape shows a verdant plains and the mountains of the Bugey region.

The sky is blue, with some white clouds near the mountains, and indicates that the scene probably takes place in the late afternoon.

Each flower, as well as the woman's face, are painted with an extremely accuracy, the colors used are sweet and some melancholy emanates from the scene.

The look of the young woman seems to contain a hint of seriousness.

Exhibitions

The painting was notably exhibited at the Paris Salon, in 1845 and at the Exposition Universelle (1855), also in Paris, among other exhibitions.

It was restored in 1974.

Influence from the Italian Renaissance

Larousse Encyclopedia describes this work as "well-balanced".

However, it is unclear if the painting is the portrait of a woman known by Janmot, but the clothes she wears do not comply with her time, but recall the portraits of the Italian Renaissance.

This may be a painting of flowers, as this type of art was very popular in Lyon in the 19th century.

Another theory is that the young woman is the goddess Flora and is in thought about the transience of time.

"Fleur des champs" è un dipinto su tavola del 1845 dell'artista lionese Louis Janmot (1814-1892).

Fu acquisito nel 1893 dal Musée des Beaux-Arts di Lione, dove è conservato.

Il dipinto fu esposto in particolare al Salon di Parigi del 1845 ed all'Esposizione Universale del 1855, sempre a Parigi, tra le altre esposizioni.

È stato restaurato nel 1974.

Il dipinto raffigura una giovane donna seduta in un paesaggio naturale, circondata da fiori e farfalle.

Tiene in mano due bouquet di fiori: uno appoggiato sulle ginocchia, composto da ranuncoli, margherite e fiordalisi, l'altro tenuto verticalmente, composto da papaveri.

Sullo sfondo, il paesaggio mostra una pianura verdeggiante e le montagne del Bugey.

Il cielo è azzurro, con qualche nuvola bianca vicino alle montagne, ed indica che la scena si svolge probabilmente nel tardo pomeriggio.

Ogni fiore, così come il volto della donna, sono dipinti con estrema precisione, i colori utilizzati sono dolci e una certa malinconia emana dalla scena.

Lo sguardo della giovane donna sembra contenere un accenno di serietà.