拍品專文
Abbott Fuller Graves travelled to Paris in 1884 to study flower painting with Georges Jeannin, the foremost practitioner of that genre in Europe. After returning home to Boston in 1885, he established himself as a teacher at the Cowles Art School. As his reputation grew and he received acclaim from the Boston art press, Graves decided to return to Paris in 1887. There he could exhibit his works in more prominent exhibitions, including the Paris Salon, the most important exhibition venue during the ninetheeth century.
Once settled in Paris, Graves had his paintings accepted into the competitive salon with little effort. His facile painting style and refined sense of color were favored among the French academic painters who juried the exhibitions. Graves exhibited flower paintings at the salons of 1888 and 1889. He also exhibited two works at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889, Peonies and Basket of Flowers. Graves returned to Boston by 1891, fresh with the success of having shown works in these prominent European exhibitions. In both Boston and in Kennebunk, Maine, Graves would continue to develop the specialty that brought him such acclaim.
Characteristics of Floral Still Life suggest that it may have been exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1888 or 1889. Signed "Paris" and dated 1888, the painting is impressive from size alone. Furthermore, it reveals a careful and deliberate approach to color harmonies and composition. Such qualities are not atypical for works intended for exhibition at the salon, as they were seen as evidence of an artist's technical ability. American correspondents covering the Paris Salons noted that Graves was "represented in the Salons of '88 and '89, by figure and flower pictures of goodly sized canvases, and was the only American flower painter whose works were accepted by the Exposition jury to represent our arts in this specialty." (Boston Evening Transcript, July 13, 1889, p.6)
Once settled in Paris, Graves had his paintings accepted into the competitive salon with little effort. His facile painting style and refined sense of color were favored among the French academic painters who juried the exhibitions. Graves exhibited flower paintings at the salons of 1888 and 1889. He also exhibited two works at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889, Peonies and Basket of Flowers. Graves returned to Boston by 1891, fresh with the success of having shown works in these prominent European exhibitions. In both Boston and in Kennebunk, Maine, Graves would continue to develop the specialty that brought him such acclaim.
Characteristics of Floral Still Life suggest that it may have been exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1888 or 1889. Signed "Paris" and dated 1888, the painting is impressive from size alone. Furthermore, it reveals a careful and deliberate approach to color harmonies and composition. Such qualities are not atypical for works intended for exhibition at the salon, as they were seen as evidence of an artist's technical ability. American correspondents covering the Paris Salons noted that Graves was "represented in the Salons of '88 and '89, by figure and flower pictures of goodly sized canvases, and was the only American flower painter whose works were accepted by the Exposition jury to represent our arts in this specialty." (Boston Evening Transcript, July 13, 1889, p.6)