"Say it with flowers"
The exhibition at galerie HELENE BAILLY MARCILHAC is structured around a rich selection devoted to the theme of flowers in Impressionist and modern painting, with works by Sisley, Caillebotte, Renoir, Matisse, Balthus, Kisling, Marquet, Picabia, Chagall...
Masterpieces of painting, drawings, precious objects, and contemporary installations together offer an interdisciplinary and international exploration of the power of flowers.
But a flower is never just a flower...
A true messenger of emotions, it conveys every feeling—even the most singular—with delicacy.
Steeped in age-old symbols and meanings, the flower gives rise to a secret language.
A simple bouquet can be a testimony of love, friendship, gratitude, or sympathy...
Who has not plucked the petals of a daisy to know whether they were loved “madly” or not?
Flowers are inseparable from the history of art, in more ways than one:
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for their technical importance: for thousands of years they were the raw material of pictorial creation, since pigments were often obtained by grinding their petals.
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as a subject: from the famous Egyptian lotus, the first depiction of a flower in art, to the deconstructed bouquets of the Cubists, they have been the most charming muses of the greatest artists.
Until the 19th century, when history painting was considered the most prestigious artistic genre, landscapes and still lifes were relegated to the status of minor genres. These distinctions gradually disappeared. French Realist and then Impressionist painters gave everyday scenes and objects special attention, conferring upon them the dignity and grandeur of major genres.
The Impressionists, in particular, devoted themselves passionately to the representation of flowers - a subject that offered them infinite freedom of experimentation and creation.
Many of them tended their gardens with care, using them as laboratories to explore light, color, and reflections in the open air. The trees depicted in Apple Trees in Bloom by Sisley or Eve and the Serpent by Sérusier evoke love and perfection, symbolizing the bond uniting humankind and nature.
At once humble and enchanting, flowers attract artists with their harmonious colors, soft curves, and unique forms. Across centuries and artistic movements, painters and sculptors have captured the rich symbolism of flowers, tracing the shifting meanings of roses, irises, tulips, carnations, and more.
If the ivy in our drawing by Matisse symbolizes attachment, Manguin’s Poppies embody intoxication, Buffet’s Yellow Tulips convey friendship and gratitude, while his orange tulips express enthusiasm and energy.
To each artist, their own expression; to each period, its movement; to each flower, its symbol…
