Among the Blossoms by Émile Vernon

Émile Vernon
1872-1919 | French 

 Among the Blossoms

 Signed and dated “Emile Vernon 1904” (lower left)
 Oil on canvas

 This romantic portrait was composed by the French Academic painter Émile Vernon. The artist specialized in paintings that paid homage to the female form, excelling in portraits and nudes depicting young women in airy, romantic settings. The present portrait is classic Vernon, revealing both his mastery over the figural form and his rich palette. His model's porcelain skin is contrasted against her raven hair, while the blush in her lips and cheeks mimics the pink blossoms that surround her like a natural halo. The artist's skill as a draftsman is revealed in his treatment of the gossamer robe that drapes around his subject, which is depicted with a translucency that was difficult for even the most proficient painter to achieve. As a whole, it is exemplary of Vernon's mastery over his genre.

Born in 1872, Émile Vernon studied at the École des Beaux-Arts de Tours in the Loire Valley, where he won is first prize for painting in 1888. Encouraged by his success, he moved to Paris shortly thereafter, where he became a student of the Academic greats William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Auguste Truphème. He took part in the French Artists Exhibition for the first time in 1898, and regularly presented portraits, landscapes and genre scenes there until 1913. He enjoyed popularity for his brightly hued, tender works of charmingly feminine subjects, which were his specialty throughout his career. 

 Dated 1904

Canvas: 36” high x 24” wide
Frame: 48 1/2” high x 36 1/2” wide