16th -20th centuries · landscape, wildflowers and open horizons

From pastoral meadow to modern fields that have become surfaces of color, this collection follows the way in which flowers, herbs, animals and figures transform open space according to times and territories.

The meadow first seems to offer a simple subject: an expanse of grass, a few flowers, a horizon. The history of painting, however, shows how much this space changes meaning depending on the era. In the pastoral tradition, the meadow welcomes herds, shepherds or mythological stories. It orders the relationship between human, animal and landscape activity. In the 19th century, outdoor work profoundly modified the motif. Corot, Théodore Rousseau, Constable or Turner observe humidity, wind, light and distance rather than building an ideal setting. Impressionism accelerates this transformation. At Monet, Sisley, Pissarro and Renoir, the meadow becomes a surface of touches where flowers and herbs produce depth by their size, density and color. The poppy plays a particular role: its red spot can punctuate an entire field without requiring the description of each petal. Van Gogh loads herbs and dandelions with directional energy, while Klimt approaches the flowery field like a mosaic almost without horizon. Schiele, Munch or Vallotton on the contrary use extension to isolate a figure or radically simplify the masses. There collection also crosses other geographies. Northern prairies, American marshes, Russian steppes, Dutch pastures and Texas plains show that the term covers very different ecosystems and histories. The animals there graze, nest, hunt or hide; people work, walk or play. Careful reading must therefore distinguish the cultivated field from the meadow, the bouquet of the wildflower and the image of untouched nature of one territory actually inhabited. A faithful reproduction must respect the type of touch, the height of the horizon, the intervals between colored accents and the relationship of each figure in the middle, without transforming all the works into one same floral decor. The "Flowering fields and meadows" selection notably compares Field of poppies in Giverny - Claude Monet and Flowering meadow with trees and dandelions - Vincent van Gogh. His reading favors details.

The meadow is never empty: flowers, herbs, traces, animals and figures make up a network of presences of which each painter chooses the rhythm and scale.