Marigolds in a bowl 1947 Oil on canvas 70 x 50 cm

On display is a still life showing a bouquet of marigolds in a patterned bowl. The pattern in the style of a straw-like basket weave alternates from a dark red to a light lemon yellow and merges from the bowl into the tablecloth.

The flowers shine in orange and yellow tones. The upper flowers in particular are illuminated by bright light that seems to come directly from the sky. With impasto application of paint, Evard creates the impression of a light source through circular brushstrokes in the colours white, pink and light blue. A stronger blue at the left and right edges of the picture creates a complementary contrast to the red of the tablecloth.

The picture deliberately does without a background in order to lead the viewer’s gaze upwards. The light source in the form of a semicircle is centrally located in the picture above the bowl. This source of light is also the strongest symbol of this painting, as it symbolises the connection to the divine. Évard’s Christian faith is also reflected in his commitment to the Christian Youth League and to pacifism.

In the centre of the painting is the bowl of marigolds, which is evenly filled. A colour gradient can be discerned from yellow on the left to a dark orange on the central axis of the painting to a lighter yellow at the upper edges of the highest flowers and to a lighter orange on the outer right flowers.

The bowl is placed centrally under the semi-circular light source. We have two diagonals in the picture given by the tablecloth. The marigolds in the bowl can be divided into a larger triangle on the left and a smaller triangle on the right. Accordingly, outside the bowl we have a small triangle on the left and a larger triangle on the right, balancing the composition. In this painting Évard combined two reflections. Firstly, he resorts to the symmetrical reflection, which he also uses in his landscape paintings. Secondly, the flowers in the bowl and outside it can be described as a point reflection.

The explosive colour combination with strong complementary and light-dark contrasts is reminiscent of expressionist paintings, such as those by Marianne Werefkin. The depiction of light through the use of a colour palette ranging from yellow to orange, as well as the implied outlines of the marigolds, reveal impressionist influences.