Anemones c. 1910 - 1912

Henry Lyman Saÿen made this painting called Anemones with oil paint. You can see his process in the visible brushstrokes and the way the colors blend and bleed into each other. I love the way the blue of the vase really pops against the surrounding hues. The paint is applied in confident strokes, thick in some areas, creating a tactile surface that invites you to reach out and touch it. The way he’s rendered the flowers, especially the one with a bold white bloom, it really makes you think about the contrast between the solid form of the vase and the ephemeral nature of the flowers. There’s a really interesting dialogue here with artists like Matisse, especially in the flattened perspective and bold use of color, but Saÿen brings his own unique sensibility to the canvas. It’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time.