A Study Of Still Life Paintings By Henri Fantin-Latour

Henri Fantin-Latour（1836-1904）was a French painter of the 19 th century.His artistic creation is concentrated in group portrait works,portrait works,still life works,imagination works with music literature works as the theme,this article mainly studies his still life works.Whistler introduced Fantin to England in the late 1850 s and early 1860 s,where his still-life flowers soon found a cult following and success.In his works,we can not only see the beautiful harmony of traditional painting,but also see his innovation and exploration in color and concept.Quiet,elegant,delicate,rational and harmonious are people’s intuitive impression of these works.In the 19 th century of France,the still life subject was insignificant compared with other painting subjects,but it was in this seemingly insignificant subject that Fantin gradually developed his pursuit and understanding of artistic modernity.Still life subject gets rid of the dependence on literature and history,and can explore the independent value of artistic language itself.Fantin made great efforts to pursue "naturalness" and "sense of reality" in his still life works,which made his flower works different from those of previous painters on the same subject.The progress of natural science in the 19 th century made it possible for painters to change their way of group observation.The power of art’s discourse power declined,and from the college system to the market system,public interest became important,and the creation of small works gained the market.The delicate art style of the 18 th century made a comeback,and the wealthy British middle class and people’s passion for flower arrangement helped Fantin sell in the British market.Artists drew inspiration from the East,and Japanese fashions brought variations in subject matter and style to Fantin’s still life works.Most of fantin’s 500 works are collected in major art museums in many countries.In2011,a large-scale exhibition of Fantin’s works and a personal retrospective were held in the Bowes Museum in the UK and the Luxembourg Museum in France,respectively.Fantin’s still life works have stood the test of time,and have been loved by a large number of audiences since ancient times,and also influenced the creation of many still life painters.