Lot Essay
Impressive in scale, color and form, Yellow Tulips is an archetypal example of Frederick Carl Frieseke’s paintings of women during quiet moments of leisure. Superbly balancing sumptuous tones with opulent, intricate patterns and an intriguing viewpoint, the present work is a truly noteworthy interior scene from this period.
Frieseke first studied at The Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League in New York before leaving for Paris in 1898. There Frieseke enrolled at the Académie Julian and also at the Académie Carmen, James McNeill Whistler’s short-lived school. Whistler's passion for Japanese art, for decoration and for distinctive color arrangements had a lasting influence on Frieseke's work, as evidenced in the present work. By 1900 he was spending summers in Giverny and, after achieving artistic and financial success by 1906, was able to purchase a home with his wife Sadie. They chose American Impressionist Theodore Robinson’s former house next door to Claude Monet’s. Frieseke remained in Giverny for almost two decades, where the artist colony also included Americans Theodore Butler, Willard Metcalf, Richard Miller and Guy Rose.
In Yellow Tulips, Frieseke uses his energetic, impressionistic style when ingeniously painting his wife’s portrait as a reflection in a mirror. He shares an intimate moment, as she admires her elaborate shawl. The work lyrically illustrates Frieseke’s ongoing fascination with capturing sunlight, especially when it comes to the natural world. Here, flowers are rendered before us on the mantle, reflected in the mirror in the middle distance on the table and in the far distance beyond his sitter. Frieseke summarized this particular interest in 1914, saying: “My one idea is to reproduce flowers in sunlight…One should never forget that seeing and producing an effect of nature is not a matter of intellect but of feeling…The effect of impressionism in general has been to open the eyes of the public to see not only sun and light, but the realization that there are new truths in nature.” (C.T. MacChesney, “Frieseke Tells Some of the Secrets of His Art,” New York Times, June 7, 1914)
Further, Frieseke revels in color and pattern. A diverse palette of greens, blues, yellows, pinks and purples are characteristic colors of many of Frieseke’s most accomplished interiors. Indeed, the intricately decorated shawl and wall at right make for a wondrous fusion of patterns and texture, which has striking parallels to the work of the Nabis, especially Edouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard.
Like these artists, the Frieseke's images of women in interiors are celebrated as some of the finest achievements created in Impressionism. Further, his ability to manipulate light and imbue his models with an air of psychological independence makes him one of the most accomplished American Impressionist painters of the female figure. With its engaging perspective, rich textures and beautiful tonal harmonies, Yellow Tulips represents Frieseke at the height of his abilities.
Frieseke first studied at The Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League in New York before leaving for Paris in 1898. There Frieseke enrolled at the Académie Julian and also at the Académie Carmen, James McNeill Whistler’s short-lived school. Whistler's passion for Japanese art, for decoration and for distinctive color arrangements had a lasting influence on Frieseke's work, as evidenced in the present work. By 1900 he was spending summers in Giverny and, after achieving artistic and financial success by 1906, was able to purchase a home with his wife Sadie. They chose American Impressionist Theodore Robinson’s former house next door to Claude Monet’s. Frieseke remained in Giverny for almost two decades, where the artist colony also included Americans Theodore Butler, Willard Metcalf, Richard Miller and Guy Rose.
In Yellow Tulips, Frieseke uses his energetic, impressionistic style when ingeniously painting his wife’s portrait as a reflection in a mirror. He shares an intimate moment, as she admires her elaborate shawl. The work lyrically illustrates Frieseke’s ongoing fascination with capturing sunlight, especially when it comes to the natural world. Here, flowers are rendered before us on the mantle, reflected in the mirror in the middle distance on the table and in the far distance beyond his sitter. Frieseke summarized this particular interest in 1914, saying: “My one idea is to reproduce flowers in sunlight…One should never forget that seeing and producing an effect of nature is not a matter of intellect but of feeling…The effect of impressionism in general has been to open the eyes of the public to see not only sun and light, but the realization that there are new truths in nature.” (C.T. MacChesney, “Frieseke Tells Some of the Secrets of His Art,” New York Times, June 7, 1914)
Further, Frieseke revels in color and pattern. A diverse palette of greens, blues, yellows, pinks and purples are characteristic colors of many of Frieseke’s most accomplished interiors. Indeed, the intricately decorated shawl and wall at right make for a wondrous fusion of patterns and texture, which has striking parallels to the work of the Nabis, especially Edouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard.
Like these artists, the Frieseke's images of women in interiors are celebrated as some of the finest achievements created in Impressionism. Further, his ability to manipulate light and imbue his models with an air of psychological independence makes him one of the most accomplished American Impressionist painters of the female figure. With its engaging perspective, rich textures and beautiful tonal harmonies, Yellow Tulips represents Frieseke at the height of his abilities.