A Swiss Modernist Painter

Flowering Tree in Spring II, 1911, gouache on paper, 11.8 x 7.8 cm

Flowering Tree in Spring II, 1911

Evard, who enjoyed working in series, also depicted the motif of the blossoming tree multiple times. This work is among Evard’s Art Nouveau miniatures, which, despite their small size – this piece measures just 11 x 7 cm – are among the painter’s most detailed. In this spring-like scenery, a tree in full bloom stands at the center. At the foot of the tree, we find a colorful flower meadow; in the background, a house, chickens, woods and fields, a gentle hill, and a cloud-laden sky. In typical Art Nouveau fashion, the painter transforms the motif here into a decorative pattern – for instance, circles arranged in a row represent the flowers and blossoms. Also typical are the strongly emphasized contour lines, here rendered in gold, which contribute to the merging of foreground and background, creating an impression of flatness and unity. The work captivates with its radiant, strong blue tones, which Evard repeatedly employs throughout the pictorial space and which wonderfully contrast with the light pink of the blossoms.