Michel Henry <Mimosa of the Cote d'Azur> Oil painting No. 40

Michel Henry is a painter who mainly paints flowers, and together with Buffet and Brasilier, he is one of the leading painters in the 20th century French art world. His paintings give off a sense of happiness, so he is called the painter of happiness in France, and the king of poppies in America, because he paints many poppies. His transparent colors are likened to jewels. Red is said to be the color of ruby, blue is the color of sawaire, green is the color of emerald, and deep brown is the color of topaz. Michel Henry's paintings are collected by the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, the Swedish royal family, the Principality of Monaco, the Saudi Arabian royal family, and others. Galerie Adeka has been the sole distributor of Michel Henry in Japan since 1995, planning Michel Henry exhibitions in famous department stores and galleries throughout Japan, producing original prints signed by the artist himself, selling painting prints, and managing copyrights.

Work Description

Mimosa is a flower that blooms in winter. If you go to the Cote d'Azur in winter, you will see yellow mimosa flowers everywhere. Many bright lemon-colored mimosas peek out from between the dark green leaves, giving a vivid impression to the colorless Cote d'Azur in winter. This 40-size painting depicts only the mimosa flowers and branches in close-up. The yellow of mimosa flowers does not vary much, and is mostly lemon yellow, but Michel Henry paints the flowers in golden yellow, lemon yellow, light green, and dark green, giving the clusters a three-dimensional look while also allowing us to enjoy the variations in yellow . It makes you rediscover that yellow is such a lively, vivid, and beautiful color , and you will be fascinated by the color itself. The drooping mimosa branches and leaves from the upper left corner of the canvas are painted in a dark green that is almost black, making the highly saturated and vivid yellow clusters of mimosa flowers feel even more vivid. Three yellow lemons of the same color are painted on what appears to be the ground under the mimosa, enriching the composition and emphasizing the appeal of the yellow color . Orange is placed in the background, connecting the green of the branches and leaves, the yellow of the flowers and lemons, and the orange color to each other. In the color wheel, yellow is next to green , and orange is next to yellow , so the eye moves from the green in the upper left to the yellow mimosa flower, and finally diffuses to the orange space that covers the entire canvas. Light enters from the upper right and strongly illuminates the mimosa, branches, and lemons that are closest to the light. The left and bottom parts of the canvas have less light, as can be seen from the colors. The change in color due to the light is beautiful . Michel Henry delights us by depicting the drama of the colors and light of the mimosa and its branches and leaves on a large canvas of only about 10 cm2 (40 cm2). He says that of all colors, the color of flowers is the most beautiful, and Michel Henry is a man who truly loves flowers and has a genius for bringing out their charm to the fullest.

Gallery Adeka Yasuhiro Takeda