Twee chrysanten 1887 - 1931

Frans Everbag painted these two chrysanthemums, probably from life, in a studio in the Netherlands sometime in the first half of the 20th century. It's an intimate watercolor, not too big, with two fluffy flowers bursting out of a blue vase. I wonder what was going through Everbag's head when he painted this? Did he labor over each petal, carefully laying down washes of white to capture their delicate curves? Or was it a more spontaneous act, a quick sketch to capture the fleeting beauty of the blooms before they faded? The paint is applied in thin layers, almost translucent, letting the paper breathe. This gives the flowers a lightness, a sort of ephemeral quality. Look at how each petal is rendered with such care, yet together they create an almost chaotic, explosion of form. The way Everbag captures the light, the way he builds up these layers, it reminds me a bit of Emil Nolde's flower paintings, but with a touch more restraint. You know, we artists, we're all in this conversation, borrowing ideas and approaches from one another, trying to make something new, trying to capture something real.