Charles Jung, Chrysanthemums in a Glass Vase (circa 1900)

CHARLES JUNG (Lyon, 1856-1936) Chrysanthemums in a glass vase. Circa 1900. Oil on canvas. 46 X 38 cm. Unsigned. Charles Jung was one of the leading still life painters in Lyon at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. His work, praised by critics and sought after by major collectors, extensively used impasto and touches of bright colours, which initially struggled to convince more conservative critics. However, by the end of his career, he was president of the Association of Painters of Lyon. Although somewhat forgotten today, Jung was a major artist at a time when Lyonnaise still life painting was recognised worldwide, and the quality of his work is remarkable. This piece is unsigned, but there is no doubt it is by Jung. Jung was unique; no one else paints like him, and he pioneered still lifes without backgrounds, like this one, in the 1880s.