An artist whose career was defined by coloristic expression and unyielding originality, Louis Valtat is among the foremost painters of the Post-Impressionist period. His bold, distinctive style is showcased in this composition entitled Dahlias, a painting that epitomizes the richness and intensity of color for which he is renowned.

The blooming flowers that dominate the composition are rendered with a profusion of crimson hues, layered against their verdant leaves in a stylized manner that conveys a sense of harmony. The expressive, swirling blossoms appear to melt into the background, while the green vase and purple table lend a sense of perspective to the nearly-abstract still life. At once bold and compelling, the dynamic canvas reflects the avant-garde attitudes that make Valtat’s works so loved.

Born in Dieppe in 1869, Valtat entered the École des Beaux-Arts at the age of 17, where he studied under the great French figure painters Gustave Boulanger and Jules Lefebvre. It was here that his association began with a number of artists who would influence the trajectory of his style, including Matisse, Vuillard, Bonnard, Signac, and Renoir, with whom he remained lifelong friends. He was awarded the Jauvin d’Attainville prize in 1890 and exhibited for the first time at the Salon des Artistes Indépendants in 1893.

Afflicted with tuberculosis, Valtat traveled to the Mediterranean coast for an extended period of convalescence. During this time, he painted brightly hued canvases in almost violent tones, works which would prove to be important forerunners to the Fauvist movement that rocked the art world in 1905. It was in 1900 that Valtat not only married his wife but also made an agreement with the renowned collector Ambroise Vollard who, on the advice of Renoir, bought all of his work for the next ten years.

He was awarded the Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur in 1927 and continued to paint in an expressive neo-impressionistic style throughout his career. He developed glaucoma late in life, which made it increasingly difficult for him paint in the years before his death in 1952.

This work will be included in the Catalogue Raisonné de l'Oeuvre de Louis Valtat being prepared by the association "Les Amis de Louis Valtat.”