Fleurs Diverses

Henri Fantin-Latour prints bring some of the most beautiful flower paintings ever made into your home. Fantin-Latour painted roses, pansies, asters and fruit with a quiet, glowing realism that made him famous in England, and he also painted the great group portraits of Manet's circle. Our collection of fine art prints includes his flower pieces and still lifes, portraits, and dreamy lithographs inspired by Wagner and Berlioz.

About Henri Fantin-Latour

Ignace Henri Jean Théodore Fantin-Latour was born in Grenoble in 1836. His father, a painter, gave him his first drawing lessons. In 1850 the family moved to Paris, where he studied with Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran, who taught drawing from memory, and in 1854 he entered the École des Beaux-Arts alongside Edgar Degas and Alphonse Legros. He spent long hours copying old masters in the Louvre.

In 1858 he met James McNeill Whistler at the Louvre. Whistler encouraged him to visit London, which he did many times between 1859 and 1881. There his still lifes found buyers through his patrons Edwin and Ruth Edwards, and from 1862 they appeared almost every year at the Royal Academy. In Paris he was part of the circle around Manet that gave rise to Impressionism, though his own style stayed more traditional.

He painted large group portraits as tributes: Homage to Delacroix (1864), A Studio at Les Batignolles (1870) with Manet at work among his friends, and Around the Piano (1885). After hearing Wagner's Ring at Bayreuth in 1876 he began a series of imaginative music lithographs. That year he married the painter Victoria Dubourg, whom he had met copying the same picture in the Louvre. He died at her family's country house at Buré in Normandy on 25 August 1904.

Style and Subjects

Fantin-Latour's still lifes are simple and calm: a bunch of roses in a plain glass, a bowl of fruit, a few flowers on a table edge, set against a soft, neutral background. His patrons advised him to keep vases and tabletops simple so that the texture and colour of petals and fruit could shine.

His portraits are sober and dignified, in dark browns and blacks. His lithographs and late paintings inspired by music are the opposite: misty, romantic visions of nymphs, goddesses and scenes from opera.

Famous Works

• Homage to Delacroix (1864), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. A group portrait of painters and writers gathered as a tribute to Delacroix.
• A Studio at Les Batignolles (1870), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. Manet painting at his easel surrounded by Renoir, Zola, Bazille and Monet.
• By the Table (Un coin de table) (1872), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. A tribute to the Parnassian poets, including Verlaine and Rimbaud.
• Still Life: Roses in a Glass Vase (1879), Manchester Art Gallery. Roses in a simple glass vase, typical of his English still lifes.
• Around the Piano (1885), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. A tribute to the musicians and music lovers of his day.
• A Basket of Roses (1885), Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon. A generous basket of roses in soft light.
• Portrait of Sonia (1890). A portrait of a young woman in his calm, sober manner.

Decorating with Fantin-Latour Prints

Fantin-Latour's flower paintings suit almost any room: kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms and entryways. A print such as Roses in a Bowl or Pansies brings colour without fuss, and looks at home in cottage, traditional and modern rooms alike. Pairs of flower pieces work well either side of a window or bed.

His group portraits make a fine choice for a study or library, and the romantic music lithographs suit a music room or reading nook.

FAQ

What is Henri Fantin-Latour famous for?

He is best known for his still lifes of flowers and fruit, and for group portraits of the artists and writers of his day, such as A Studio at Les Batignolles.

Was Fantin-Latour an Impressionist?

He was a friend of Manet and exhibited with Renoir and Monet, and was part of the group from which Impressionism grew. His own style, however, remained realistic and traditional.

Why were Fantin-Latour's flower paintings popular in England?

Whistler introduced him to London, where his patrons Edwin and Ruth Edwards sold his still lifes. They were shown at the Royal Academy almost every year and were said to be almost unknown in France during his lifetime.

Where can I see Fantin-Latour's paintings?

The Musée d'Orsay in Paris has his great group portraits. Still lifes are in the Manchester Art Gallery, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and many other collections.

Who was Victoria Dubourg?

Victoria Dubourg was a still-life painter whom he married in 1876. They met while copying the same painting in the Louvre.

Related Artists

• Édouard Manet: his friend, honoured in A Studio at Les Batignolles
• Alphonse Legros: his fellow student at the École des Beaux-Arts
• Edgar Degas: his fellow student at the École des Beaux-Arts
• Claude Monet: painter he exhibited with, shown in A Studio at Les Batignolles
• Eugène Delacroix: the painter honoured in his Homage to Delacroix