Chrysanthemums

Painted in 1875, Chrysanthemums is a work by James Tissot, now in the collection of Clark Art Institute, that reflects the artistic concerns of the late 19th century — an era of fundamental transformation in both the methods and purposes of European and American painting. James Tissot occupied a unique position between French and English painting, working in Paris during the Second Empire and then in London after the Commune, where he became enormously successful depicting the fashionable social life of the Victorian leisured class.

Tissot painted with meticulous, virtuoso precision, rendering the textures of fabric, lace, and surface detail with the accuracy of a luxury fashion illustrator. His palette is rich and warm — deep crimsons, ivory whites.