La Marchande de fleurs

The flower Stallholder

Black chalk and with body color on blue paper, ca. 1896

Signed lower right Maurin

Size

245 x 325 mm

Provenance

Artist’s heirs; Private collection, France

Exhibition

A rare drawing illustrating a more secrete side of Maurin’s art. The artist is famous for his depiction of symbolist women, meditative girls or allegoric compositions, most probably carried out in his studio, with his models, and only influenced by literature and esoteric texts. But Maurin also spend time in the streets, influenced by impressionism, sketching street scenes, daily life, theatres crowd, parks, and flower markets. It is worth pointing out that the present sheet for instance is similar to some of Camille Pissarro drawings by the technique and the style: a silhouette sketched rapidly with black chalk, the addition of white highlights and the use of blue paper. This blurry atmosphere and velvety texture create the impression of a soft morning light.

The scenes depicted by Maurin were not intended to be caricatures, such as by Lautrec or Forain, but timeless moments of tranquillity, mostly with feminine figures: a mother and her child in the park, a woman reading on a bench, or a florist resting in the shadow of her stall or waiting for a client. Maurin’s talent is widely recognized, but here again, the artist surprises with his careful observation and masterful technique, leading to a poetic expression of a reminiscence.