Bataille de fleurs à Nice 1900

Henri Gervex made this oil on canvas painting, entitled Bataille de fleurs à Nice, in France in the late 19th century. The work offers a snapshot into the social rituals of the French Riviera. This bird’s-eye view of the famous flower parade presents two distinct social spheres. The workers, who pick the oranges and flowers, are shown below, close to nature. Above them are the fashionable bourgeoisie, who consume the products of the harvest. Note how Gervex turns these figures upside down. He presents them at a remove from the landscape, emphasizing their artificiality. The flower battle, which became a popular tourist attraction, can be viewed as a symbol of the economic and social inequalities of the time. The image comments on the structures of its own time and is self-consciously progressive. It critiques the institutions of art. As art historians, we examine paintings like this to uncover their complex layers of meaning, using a wide range of archival materials to discover more about the social conditions that shape artistic production.