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Lot Essay
Among American Impressionists, Robert Blum was a leader in the revival of pastel, a medium that gained popularity in the 1880s among American Impressionists. In 1882 Blum joined fellow artists William Merritt Chase and J. Carroll Beckwith, among others, to found the Society of Painters in Pastel, which held its first exhibition in March of 1884 in New York. These artists were developing highly personal responses to Impressionism, and pastel provided an opportunity to explore and develop an Impressionist style beyond the confines of the more traditional media of watercolor or oil paint.
Marjorie Shelley has noted the important connection between American Impressionism and pastel, writing, "pastel was particularly suited for Impressionist imagery. The range of the palette, from the most muted tones to the brightest, was ideal for conveying the new, intimate subject matter: sun-filled interiors, the ephemeral effects of light on water or landscape, and delicately lighted portraits." ("American Pastels and the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries: Materials and Techniques," American Pastels in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1989, p. 33)
In pastel Blum found his most poetic and inspired medium, and when his pastels were exhibited they were met with unparalleled acclaim. A critic for the Evening Post wrote, "Pastel was the medium peculiarly suited to Blum's special gift for seizing elusive, evanescent effects in light and color." ("Art Notes: Memorial Loan Exhibition of the Work of Robert Blum," New York Evening Post, February 15, 1913, p. 7).
Pastels such as Flora de Stephano depict startlingly beautiful images by the artist that capture an almost jewel-like quality of light. His subject here is his close companion and romantic love of many years, Flora de Stephano. She appears in numerous works. In this dramatically drawn pastel, Blum's use of brilliant vermilion highlights on her dress offers a tour de force of his control and handling of color. The reddish-orange tint dances across the surface of the pastel, creating a sumptuous effect.
Blum's artistic temperament was especially well-suited to the medium, as he could use sticks of vivid color with dashing bold strokes to create an image filled with spontaneity and vitality. They remain among his greatest artistic achievements in any medium. Despite his brief career, Blum's work in pastel secured his reputation as the master of the medium. With characteristic wit and truthfulness, Oscar Wilde is reported to have remarked to his friend, "Blum, your exquisite pastels give me the sensation of eating yellow satin." (Catalogue of a Memorial Loan Exhibition of the Works of Robert Frederick Blum, New York, 1913, p. 9).
We are grateful to Bruce Weber for his assistance in identifying the sitter of this painting in pastel.
Marjorie Shelley has noted the important connection between American Impressionism and pastel, writing, "pastel was particularly suited for Impressionist imagery. The range of the palette, from the most muted tones to the brightest, was ideal for conveying the new, intimate subject matter: sun-filled interiors, the ephemeral effects of light on water or landscape, and delicately lighted portraits." ("American Pastels and the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries: Materials and Techniques," American Pastels in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1989, p. 33)
In pastel Blum found his most poetic and inspired medium, and when his pastels were exhibited they were met with unparalleled acclaim. A critic for the Evening Post wrote, "Pastel was the medium peculiarly suited to Blum's special gift for seizing elusive, evanescent effects in light and color." ("Art Notes: Memorial Loan Exhibition of the Work of Robert Blum," New York Evening Post, February 15, 1913, p. 7).
Pastels such as Flora de Stephano depict startlingly beautiful images by the artist that capture an almost jewel-like quality of light. His subject here is his close companion and romantic love of many years, Flora de Stephano. She appears in numerous works. In this dramatically drawn pastel, Blum's use of brilliant vermilion highlights on her dress offers a tour de force of his control and handling of color. The reddish-orange tint dances across the surface of the pastel, creating a sumptuous effect.
Blum's artistic temperament was especially well-suited to the medium, as he could use sticks of vivid color with dashing bold strokes to create an image filled with spontaneity and vitality. They remain among his greatest artistic achievements in any medium. Despite his brief career, Blum's work in pastel secured his reputation as the master of the medium. With characteristic wit and truthfulness, Oscar Wilde is reported to have remarked to his friend, "Blum, your exquisite pastels give me the sensation of eating yellow satin." (Catalogue of a Memorial Loan Exhibition of the Works of Robert Frederick Blum, New York, 1913, p. 9).
We are grateful to Bruce Weber for his assistance in identifying the sitter of this painting in pastel.