Pink and White Peonies

This sumptuous bouquet following on from Špála’s celebrated blue period represents the painter’s preferred floral motif and the selection of his favourite July flowers – peonies. Over the years, Špála created a stylistically rich repertoire featuring this traditional subject, always artfully transforming it into original compositions according to the modern forms of the day. He also developed a wholly distinctive approach to painting drawing on Fauvism, Cubism, and Expression, which was expressed both in his style of painting and use of colour. Through this, he achieved a strong tension in his works that confounds expectations of such a traditional genre. Colour continued to be of primary importance to him, chiefly the contrast between cobalt blue and a warm red, and the peonies in a painted jug placed on a patterned cloth are ideal for such experimentation. Špála’s use of these colours in this work comes with the added bonus of offering the viewer an emotional experience playing out in the background of the still life. There, paintings hang on the walls, causing the whole interior to tilt and break; the vase containing the flowers is the only firm, static object in the space. The entire depiction is accompanied by intense tension, creating a dramatic experience for the viewer. The painting appears in the artist’s inventory of works (E. Burget / R. Musil: Václav Špála, soupis díla /1885–1946/ [Václav Špála, inventory of works / 1885 – 1946/], Prague 2002, p. 72). Špála provided an explanatory description, “Pink and white peonies in a jug (only peonies)” and labelled it number 638 in parentheses. Its first owner was Dr. Fragner. Currently held in a high-quality postwar Prague collection. Assessed in consultation with Prof. J. Zemina and PhDr. R. Michalová, Ph.D. The professional opinion of PhDr. K. Srp is attached: “[...] Špála’s world found itself in obvious movement. He balanced stillness and action, order and chaos. Thanks to these contrasts, he created a unique painting that enriches our understanding of another layer of the artist’s sensibility, to which he gave a unique artistic form. The extent to which he controlled it is shown in a small detail: the green, still unblooming stem of the peony lying on the table, which extends from the lower edge of the canvas. [...].”