Contact gallery for price		Marcel Dyf French, 1899 – 1985 Bouquet de Fleurs Oil on canvas 12 5/8 x 10 in.; framed: Signed on lower right: Dyf Provenance: Acquired by the previous owner, circa 1970. Claudine Dyf has confirmed he authenticity of this painting Marcel Dyf was born in Paris on October 7, 1899. Demonstrating an early interest in painting, he became a professional artist in his early twenties. As his family holidays were spent in Normandy, the French countryside served as a place of inspiration. In 1922 Dyf moved to Arles and established a studio there, and he maintained his studio until 1942. Largely self-taught, Dyf admired Rembrandt, Vermeer and Tiepolo, but many observers notice the influence of Renoir. While in Arles, he was commissioned to paint several large frescoes in the town halls of Saint Martin-de-Crau and Les Saintes Marles-de-la-Mer. In 1935 Dyf established a Paris studio in the Avenue du Maine on the left bank, and he thrived in the creative culture of the capital. With the invasion of France in 1940, Dyf returned to Arles, but he was forced to abandon his home. He then joined the French resistance forces in Correze and the Dordogne. After the war he returned to Arles only to find his studio in ruins. He returned to Paris, but later established a second studio in Saint Paul-de-Vence. His paintings began to sell throughout cities in southern France and several Parisian salons began exhibiting his pictures. Dyf became well known throughout France as well as in the United States. His work was featured at the Petrides Gallery in Paris in 1949, 1951 and 1953. Dyf established a gallery studio in Cannes in the early 1950s and he gained a following among Americans visiting the Riviera. In 1955 the London Gallery Frost and Reed bought many of his paintings, thus beginning a long professional relationship between artist and gallery. The business relationship also freed Dyf to pursue only artistic objectives. In the summer of 1954, he met his soon-to-be wife Claudine, only 19, who would become the subject of many of his paintings. The two were married in 1956 and bought a hunting lodge near Versailles. Dyf is best known for his bouquets of flowers and his portraits. A contemporary Impressionist, he composed his subjects with an emotional intensity and vibrant palette. Throughout his prime artistic years he painted in Brittany, Provence and the Ile de France, and he also traveled to Venice, Morocco and the United States. Dyf was a member of L’Ecole Francais. He died on 16th September 1985. With our painting, Bouquet de Fleurs, Dyf returns to one of his favorite genres, the floral still life. Set against a muted grey-aqua background, the yellow and white daisies are offset by the burst of orange-reds and blues. The stems in the vase are realized with just a few dramatic suggestive strokes of dark pigment. As with all of his paintings, Dyf believed in making a spontaneous and creative work, rarely modifying or repainting. The viewer is able to see and appreciate every stroke of the brush, some saturated with paint, some created with feathery quick gestures.