White Roses 1875

Henri Fantin-Latour captured this oil on canvas painting, entitled 'White Roses'. Here, Fantin-Latour explores the simple, almost mundane, subject of flowers in a glass. The flowers themselves are painted with thick impasto strokes, full of light. The layering of oil paint, with the inherent qualities of viscosity and drying time, allows for a building-up of texture, mimicking the delicate forms of the roses. This physicality of paint application is a key element; each brushstroke represents a deliberate action, a moment of labor. The dark background is made with thin washes, built up and rubbed back, contrasting with the sculptural quality of the flowers themselves. It’s important to note that this painting emerged during a time when the art world was reckoning with industrialization and shifting social structures. Fantin-Latour, in focusing on the handmade and the intimate, offers a quiet, thoughtful observation on the beauty of the natural world, achieved through a clear understanding of his materials.