Saturday, June 27, 2009

Pink Saturday - Overblown roses

Pink Saturday - Beverly, at the blog "How Sweet the Sound" hosts Pink Saturday. Let the color pink inspire you!

My desk is in a little alcove off the kitchen, and in front of me hangs an oil painting of a vase of roses, against the deep blue wall. The painting is small - perhaps eight inches square. It depicts a small vase, brown pottery or perhaps old brass, stuffed with almost a dozen full-blown roses in shades of pink. On the table beneath the vase lie a few fallen petals.

I bought it years ago in an antique shop - really a flea market - and it is unsigned. I like the frame it came in. I also like the composition - I like the fact that the image is cut off at the top; we are looking at the vase from its own level, and we've lost the overhead. I have no idea who painted it, or how old it is.

The other day I picked a bouquet of roses that were in bloom in my garden. The June bloom is the second flowering of the year, less lush than the first in April and May. The deeper pink rose is a Meilland Romantica named "Comtesse de Provence", and the paler pink flowers are a David Austin rose called "Sharifa Asma."

"Sharifa Asma" has large, quartered flowers in the style of the old roses. And in my garden - at least in our foggy June Gloom - she tends to get a bit of mildew. But the special thing about "Sharifa Asma" is the scent - she is a strongly fragrant rose, with a sharp scent rosarians describe as "myrrh" - likening it to the strong, camphor-like incense of the ancient world.

The blooms I picked were a bit overblown, and just like in the painting, they dropped their petals onto the table.

In Grenoble, France, in 1836, a portrait painter and his Russian-born wife had a baby boy. They moved to Paris when the baby was five. As he grew up, he studied drawing and painting and as an adult he worked in several studios.

Henri Fantin-Latour hung out with Impressionist painters Edgar Degas and Edouard Manet, and an American painter named James Whistler, who was playing around with odd takes on light, shapes, and perspective.

Henri liked to paint small domestic still-lifes - often pictures of flowers in vases, particularly roses. Between 1864 and his death in 1904, he became famous for his lush, loose still-life paintings of flowers, sprawling and abundant, richly detailed and intimate.

You can almost smell the scent as you look at them.

23 comments:

Elena said...

That painting is a great little find - just as well someone out there didn't want it so you were able to find it for yourself. It is a lovely painting.

The photo of your roses is just beautiful. You could easily use this photo to make cards for friends - it's very pretty.

Latour's flower paintings are beautiful.

I've enjoyed reading your post this week - thank you.

ciao for now,
Elena :)

Beverly said...

Happy Pink Saturday, Glennis.

I love, love, love your painting. And, I appreciate roses in all stages of bloom, but I think the overblown stage is my favorite. My mother prefers the bud stage, and I drive her a bit crazy with my fallen petals on the surfaces in our home.

We are in our second bloom now, too. And, we are also in the month that the Japanese beetles grace us with their presence. Ugh! I will be glad when the depart.

Anonymous said...

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm roses. I love looking at them whether in person or pictures. And your roses look so delicate looking. I love that it's so pink on the inside then fading away to white.

oh I'm just dropping by. No pink post for me today :-)

Gabriela said...

Happy Pink Saturday!


Love these roses!



~ Gabriela ~

KBeau said...

Your posts are always full of such interesting information. We recently visited Paris and had an opportunity to see paintings by Whistler, Degas, etc. at the Orsay Museum. I want to go back and spend more time there.

Jillian's Bella Rosa Antiques said...

Well the painting is super sweet and so are your roses. Loved the info on Henri. Have a great PINK SATURDAY!

Mary Bergfeld said...

The roses are quite lovely. That painting was a find. Have a wonderful weekend.

Tristan Robin said...

another delightful post - love the painting! and your photo - as always - is lovely

stefanie said...

happy pink saturday, beautiful pink post

♥Mimi♥ said...

What a sweet Pink Saturday blog post! There's just something about the color pink that brings out the best of everything☺

♥Have a wonderful weekend. Finally warm and sunny here, hope your neck of the woods is just as pink-a-licious as mine♥

Deanna said...

¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*´¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ Happy Pink Saturday

Your painting is beautiful. And yes, Latour's painting are lovely..

Hope your day is full of Pink happiness!

Deanna :D

shrink on the couch said...

Oooh, pass me some Sharifa ... I want a good whiff!

shrink on the couch said...

Oh and as for your painting, which is beautiful... I had thought, at first glance, that the painter simply didn't allow enough room on her canvas for the full bouquet, or didn't factor in the frame in her dimensions. Silly me.

Tami @ Creative girl Vintage said...

Very pretty, Glennis..Happy Pink Saturday to you!
xo Tami

Claudia said...

What a lovely painting. I am sure you treasure it. Your roses are beautiful! Happy Pink Saturday!

Woman in a Window said...

I'm not sure I would have noticed the perspective had you not pointed it out. Interesting and I wonder why.

Country Wings in Phoenix said...

Very beautiful Glennis! Happy Pink Saturday. Please stop by and see my yard collection in my little slice of heaven. I spent about 6 1/2 hours in the yard yesterday and still have some work calling my name today. Please pop over and add your name to my Followers list, as I would love to keep following you. "Country Hugs" from Country Wings in Phoenix, Sherry

Susie Jefferson said...

Lovely painting, and lovely roses. That painting might be worth taking to an expert - it's beautifully painted, so I doubt by an amateur.

Have a perfectly Pink Saturday!

Patricia said...

Lovely, beautiful Pinks. Happy Pink Saturday and have a wonderful new week.

Barbara Jean said...

The roses are beautiful.
I always stop to smell the roses when out walking, literally. =0))

blessings,
Barbara jean

Unknown said...

Happy Pink Saturday! The painting is lovely and such a fabulous find. I loved your photo of the roses. I love fallen petals on the table.

Thanks for sharing! Enjoy your weekend!

Tina

Beansieleigh said...

Hi Glennis! Your painting and your photo are both beautiful! Happy Pink Saturday, and hope you have a wonderful week!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful roses, a beautiful painting, and a BLUE WALL! Heaven.