Spring Flowers, c.1897 (oil on panel)

Fleurs de Printemps In Albert-Émile Artigue’s Fleurs de Printemps, blossoms abound in a lush river landscape dotted with blooming trees in springtime. Having stripped the nearest tree of its petals, the frolicking of six young women have begun to wind down, as exemplified by the prone beauty of the foreground. The perfection of the day is matched only by the loveliness of the portrayed ladies. Their floral-patterned tea dresses serve to underscore the point of the title’s double entendre. When unveiled at the Salon in 1897, Fleurs de Printemps proved an instant success with the press and public alike. The importance of exhibiting at the Salons in Paris at this time cannot be overstated. The Salons set the standards for the art market not only in France but throughout the entire Western world, and from 1848–1898 it was at the peak of its power. Thousands of paintings were hung at each Salon, creating the largest exhibition of contemporary art in the world. Thousands poured into Paris to attend the Salon, with years that had 500,000 visitors not unusual. The public regarded painters whose work had been accepted by the Salon as worthy of purchase, with the exact opposite being true for those whose paintings had been rejected.