Afternoon in the Garden, Henri Edmond Cross
Henri Edmond Cross
Afternoon in the Garden
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Henri Edmond Cross

Afternoon in the Garden, 1904 – 1905


Dimensions
129.5 x 192.0 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
SG 215
Acquisition
Acquired in 1912
Status
On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 4

Texts

About the Work

This painting by Henri-Edmond Cross is composed of countless dots. Only in the eyes of the viewer do these pure colours fuse to form a sun-filled garden, the setting for a relaxed scene. Here, Cross was probably painting the park and grounds surrounding his house in Saint-Clair, in southern France. In June 1904 Cross wrote to a friend that he was painting a picture in the garden and described the gradations of colour which contribute to the charm of the overall harmony and which it would be impossible to invent. Unlike the approach in Impressionist painting, however, this does not apply to the reproduction of an atmospheric lighting effect. Here, the artist makes use of the artistic principles of Neo-Impressionism developed by Georges Seurat and based on scientific theories on colour perception. The objects were accordingly dismantled into a rigid grid of coloured dots which frequently made the colourful works look rather stiff.

Video

  • Gastkommentar: Elementarteilchen in der Kunst mit Mikrobiologe Tobias J. Erb
    Was sieht ein Mikrobiologe in den Werken der Städel Sammlung? In diesem Gastkommentar eröffnet Tobias J. Erb (Direktor am Max-Planck-Institut für Terrestrische Mikrobiologie) seine individuelle Sichtweise auf die Kunstwerke im Städel Museum. Er schaut sich Henri Edmond Cross‘ "Nachmittag im Garten" (1904–1905), Naum Gabos "Konstruktiver Kopf Nr. 1" (1915) sowie Max Ernsts "Natur im Morgenlicht (La nature à l’aurore)" (1936) an und untersucht die Elementarteilchen in der Kunst. Mehr Infos unter: https://www.staedelmuseum.de/de/angebote/gastkommentar Die Werke in unserer Digitalen Sammlung Henri Edmond Cross, Nachmittag im Garten (1904–1905): https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/de/werk/nachmittag-im-garten Naum Gabo, Konstruktiver Kopf Nr. 1 (1915): https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/de/werk/konstruktiver-kopf-nr1 Max Ernst, Natur im Morgenlicht (La nature à l’aurore) (1936): https://sammlung.staedelmuseum.de/de/werk/natur-im-morgenlicht-la-nature-a-laurore

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
Afternoon in the Garden
Painter
Production Place
Period Produced
School
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Material
Technique
Label at the Time of Manufacture
Signiert unten links: henri Edmond Cross

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
Public Domain
Acquisition
Acquired in 1912

Work Content

Motifs and References

Iconclass

Primary
Secondary

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
Henri Edmond Cross (1856-1910)
verkauft durch die Galerie Druet, Paris, an die Stadt Frankfurt am Main, 1912.

Information

Since 2001, the Städel Museum has systematically been researching the provenance of all objects that were acquired during the National Socialist period, or that changed owners or could have changed owners during those years. The basis for this research is the “Washington Declaration”, also known as the “Washington Conference Principles”, formulated at the 1998 “Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets” and the subsequent “Joint Declaration”.

The provenance information is based on the sources researched at the time they were published digitally. However, this information can change at any time when new sources are discovered. Provenance research is therefore a continuous process and one that is updated at regular intervals.

Ideally, the provenance information documents an object’s origins from the time it was created until the date when it found its way into the collection. It contains the following details, provided they are known:

  • the type of acquisition and/or the way the object changed hands
  • the owner's name and place of residence
  • the date on which it changed hands

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Conservation and Restoration

Art-technology findings and/or documentation regarding conservation and restoration are available for this work. If interested, please contact .

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Last update

10.04.2024