In this work, too, the influence of Charles L’Eplattenier (1874-1946) is clearly discernible. Fascinated by his collection of Oriental art, André Evard began collecting Indian cloths and scarves, Persian carpets, and other Far Eastern art objects. In the year this small-format watercolor was created, Evard also attended an enamel course at the School of Applied Arts in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Similar to the enamel works created subsequently, the artist applied the colors here in small, almost jewel-like strokes. This makes it understandable why L’Eplattenier once referred to his student as a “jeweler of painting.”
In the spirit of his teacher, Evard based the stylized tree on observations of nature, utilizing nature’s inherent possibilities to abstract what he saw into a decorative dance of oscillating lines and pulsating color fields. The work depicts a stylized tree composed of a multitude of small, colored dots. The slender trunk rises centrally from the bottom edge of the image and branches into a dense, rounded crown. This consists of a vibrant mosaic of blue, green, pink, and violet tones, evenly distributed across the surface, lending the image a vibrating, almost shimmering effect. The similarly dotted background allows the tree and its surroundings to merge. Despite the abstract technique, the tree’s form remains clearly recognizable, conveying an overall impression that is both serene and dynamically animated.