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Still Life, Gladiolas
Chaim Soutine
European Art
Here, Chaim Soutine’s expressive flowers, luminous against the dark background, reflect the influence of the artists he most admired: Rembrandt van Rijn, Francisco Goya, and Gustave Courbet. He made ten paintings of gladioli, perhaps drawn to these flowers because they were the color of blood, a substance depicted in many of his still lifes of dead animals. A critic in 1926 found blood an apt metaphor for Soutine’s painterly and emotional force: “His work looks to me like a hemorrhage. Before rendering his soul, the artist spits up all his blood. And each spurt gives birth to a new vision, singularly intense, tragic, and painful.”
Soutine struggled in poverty after arriving in Paris in 1913 from Russia (present-day Belarus). His fortunes changed in 1922, when the American collector Albert Barnes bought fifty-two of his paintings, likely including this one. Barnes gave the work to his wife, Laura, who in turn bequeathed it to the Brooklyn Museum.
Soutine struggled in poverty after arriving in Paris in 1913 from Russia (present-day Belarus). His fortunes changed in 1922, when the American collector Albert Barnes bought fifty-two of his paintings, likely including this one. Barnes gave the work to his wife, Laura, who in turn bequeathed it to the Brooklyn Museum.
ARTIST
Chaim Soutine, Smilavicy, present–day Belarus (former Russian Empire), 1893 – 1943, Paris, France
MEDIUM
Oil on canvas
DATES
ca. 1919
DIMENSIONS
21 3/4 x 18 1/4 in. (55.2 x 46.4 cm)
Frame: 27 x 23 1/2 in. (68.6 x 59.7 cm) (show scale)
SIGNATURE
Signed lower right: "Soutine"
COLLECTIONS
European Art
ACCESSION NUMBER
67.24.24
CREDIT LINE
Bequest of Laura L. Barnes
PROVENANCE
Prior to 1966, provenance not yet documented; by April 29, 1966, acquired by Laura Leggett Barnes of Merion, PA; 1967, bequeathed by Laura Leggett Barnes to the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Chaim Soutine (Smilavicy, present–day Belarus (former Russian Empire), 1893 – 1943, Paris, France). Still Life, Gladiolas, ca. 1919. Oil on canvas, 21 3/4 x 18 1/4 in. (55.2 x 46.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Laura L. Barnes, 67.24.24. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 67.24.24_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 67.24.24_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2015
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
© artist or artist's estate
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