The artwork, titled “Flower Market,” was created by James McNeill Whistler in 1885. This piece is executed in watercolor, measures 12.7 x 20.96 cm, and belongs to the Impressionist art movement. It is categorized as a genre painting, capturing a scene from everyday life.
In “Flower Market,” Whistler exquisitely depicts a bustling market scene with delicate brushstrokes and a light, airy palette typical of watercolors. The composition is populated by figures that are rendered with a sense of immediacy and spontaneous movement. Women, possibly vendors and customers, are engaged in various activities around a street vendor’s cart adorned with vibrant red flowers. The background hints at an architectural setting, blurred and indistinct, emphasizing the lively interactions in the foreground. The use of light and shadow in the artwork imparts a lively, sunlit ambiance, characteristic of the Impressionist approach to capturing transient moments. Through his masterful manipulation of watercolor, Whistler conveys the ephemeral beauty of life in a flower market.
