Henri Gaston Darien*
1864 – Paris – 1926
French, 1864 – 1926
Summer in the Garden
Oil on canvas
30 x 50 inches
Signed
Henri Gaston Darien was born in Paris in 1864 where he lived and studied. As a student at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, he studied under the guidance of both Lefevre and Guillemet.
Both Darien’s mentors and the contemporaneous Impressionist movement influenced his work. The Impressionists and others in their circle brought excitement and vitality to painting, and moreover, their innovative styles signaled a break with conventional barriers, which further inspired the young artist. Their influence can be found in this painting in Darien’s application of paint and use of vibrant color. The canvas also reflects the artist’s exciting compositional choices and use of light.
In 1921, Darien exhibited Parmi les Fleurs at the Paris Salon, which also depicts a young lady in a cottage garden and again shows Darien’s use of vibrant color. In the previous year there were two titles, Quietude and Soir d’Ete, which were also concerned with elegant young ladies in tranquil and serene environment; this subject matter notably contrasted with his earlier Parisian street scenes.
Darien exhibited many paintings at the Paris Salon where he attained Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. He was awarded in 1910, the Paris Salon Legion of Honor. In addition to the many accolades bestowed on him, he achieved critical success as his paintings were exhibited at museums and many leading art galleries.
In many ways Summer in the Garden exemplifies Henri Gaston Darien’s painting at its very best. In this piece he has depicted a young girl, peacefully asleep in a hammock, one of her arms hanging down to the side. The relaxed position of our subject points toward a low-key formality that allows the viewer to enter easily into the pictorial space.
Her head is slightly turned towards the viewer, allowing us to enjoy her peaceful facial expression and rosy cheeks. Darien skillfully draws out the soft curves of her face and subtle shifts in skin tones. These details instill a lifelike brilliance that is at once realistic and ethereal. The garden that surrounds her is shimmering with color and light, leaving the scene with a dreamlike atmosphere. In particular we notice the grass that is held in a sparkling green color, and the blossoming flowers depicted in a myriad of colors. The colors that we find in the garden are echoed in a house in the background. The thatched roof is held in a curtain of brilliant red colors that reappear in the leaves on tree. It is a scene filled with vibrant color and light and Darien has applied the color with a sense of security and with a feeling of value of each inch of the composition.
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