Keywords: Gaston La Touche - The Arbor - Walters 372626.jpg In his youth La Touche frequented the same Paris cafés as the Impressionists and is reputed to have received advice from Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas As a mature artist he broke with his realist beginnings to paint in a harmonious decorative style that reflects the influence of the Rococo painters of the 18th century For his wealthy clients such scenes may have evoked nostalgia for the ancien régime of pre-Revolutionary France La Touche joined Pierre Puvis de Chavannes in breaking with the official salons to become a member of the rival Société nationale des Beaux-Arts In this scene reminiscent of 17th-century fêtes-galantes several women in colorful dress are relaxing in a park either at Versailles or St -Cloud Two women resting in chairs in the foreground ignore a monkey who torments a white parrot perched in the bars of a gold cage One woman holds a fan and one has hung her straw hat on the back of her chair Another women stands off to the right leaning against the arbor There is a large elaborate stone fountain in the background with a nude sculpture at the top and putti figures encircling the base It shoots several streams of water into the air Thick vines and flowers grow over the arbor and the grass is a lush green The scene is bathed in a golden-orange light which reflects on everything from the water in the fountain to the clothing of the women La Touche's brilliant jewel tones and the relaxed poses of the women contribute to the airy and carefree atmosphere of this painting recalling the Rococo scenes of the previous generation ca 1906 Oil on canvas cm 180 201 accession number 37 2626 24883 Emile Chouanard Nice Roger Goiran Dunedin Florida date of acquisition unknown by inheritance Walters Art Museum Gift of Roger Goiran in memory of his grandfather Emile Chouanard 1986 A Magnificent Age Masterpieces from the Walters Art Museum Baltimore The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Kansas City; Mint Museum of Art Charlotte; The Walters Art Museum Baltimore 2002-2004 place of origin Antwerp Belgium PD-old-auto 1913 Gaston de La Touche Media contributed by the Walters Art Museum needs category review French paintings in the Walters Art Museum 1900s paintings from France Paintings of gardens Paintings of fountains Paintings of monkeys |