Peonies in a Vase

In this still life, Slewinski depicts a bouquet of yellow peonies and roses in a vase placed on a table in a Synthetist style, with a luminous use of colour similar to the art of Paul Gauguin. The unusual vase, possibly made by Gauguin, adds a unique touch to the work. The composition is formed by smooth areas of colour applied with wide and energetic brush strokes, with a single dark line serving to indicate the table. Slewinski was considered “the flower painter” of the group, and Gauguin gives this informal title a nod in his 1891 portrait of Slewinski posing next to a bouquet of multicoloured zinnias in a ceramic jug, on display at the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo.