Flowers and Apricots

Jules Bidlingmeyer 1830 - 1893

Summary

In this still life group, a bunch of full-bloomed white roses and pink rosebuds incline toward the viewer from an unseen vase, with six apricots at its base. The apricot on the extreme right is split in half to reveal its stone. The greenish-gold background is indistinct and the items appear to be laid on the ground, since there is dry grass to the right. Little is known about the life of Jules Bidlingmeyer, except that he was a native of Mulhouse, Alsace. This simple still life painting is typical of the work of late-19th-century followers of Jean-Siméon Chardin (1699-1779), whose austere still lifes enjoyed a significant revival at that time. From the mid-1720s to the late 1730s, strongly influenced by Dutch 17th-century still lifes, Chardin painted many examples of food and kitchen utensils, characterised by soft lighting and a delicate tonal range of greys, blues and browns that emphasised the mundaneness of the subject matter.