Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1988
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
Theodore Wendel
(American, 1859–1932)
Flowering Fields, Giverny
1889
Oil on canvas
Image: 12 1/2 x 21 5/8 in. (31.8 x 54.9 cm)
Frame: 20 3/16 x 29 3/8 x 4 in. (51.3 x 74.6 x 10.2 cm)
Frame: 20 3/16 x 29 3/8 x 4 in. (51.3 x 74.6 x 10.2 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1988.11
SignedLower right: Th. Wendel.89.
InterpretationUnder a bright summer sky, an unbounded expanse of flowering poppies spreads the full breadth of the view captured in Theodore Wendel’s painting. The flowers merge into a line of solid pink at the edge of a grain field from which several haystacks rise in the right distance. Reduced almost to dark smudges in the glaring indirect light, trees are silhouetted against the undulating curves of low hills. Almost lost among them is a building with a low spire, the early Norman church of Saint Radegonde, marking the locale as the village of Giverny, France. Wendel worked there in the summers of 1887 and 1888; Flowering Fields, Giverny is thought to date to 1887, but the artist apparently dated it on his return to the United States, in preparation for showing it at the Society of American Artists exhibition in New York in 1889.
Wendel was one of the first of the many American painters who made up the important international artists’ colony that flourished in Giverny for the next quarter-century. Many were drawn there by the presence of French painter Claude Monet (1848–1926), and emulated not only his outdoor painting methods and emphasis on light effects but his local landscape subjects. Flowering Fields, Giverny may have been inspired by Monet’s many paintings of Giverny’s summertime fields of blooming poppies and irises. Particularly in depicting the poppy blooms and grasses of the foreground, Wendel’s technique—using loose dashes and strokes of paint, sometimes thinly layered, sometimes scratched through with the end of the brush handle—is free and spontaneous, evidence of direct painting on-site. The paint strokes resolve themselves, however, into solidly rendered fields, trees, hills, and sky, a pictured scene rather than the swirling pure color, brilliant light, and palpable atmosphere that in Monet’s paintings almost eclipse his ostensible landscape subjects.
For Wendel and his fellow artists in the village, the landscape surrounding Giverny provided an infinite source of motifs and compositions. John Leslie Breck and Theodore Robinson, along with Wendel, painted the village from a distance, either looking across the fields on its south or in panoramic views taken from the hills to the north. Like Wendel’s Brook, Giverny (TF 1987.13), this work testifies to the importance of the village’s surrounding landscape as a catalyst in the formation of the art colony.
Wendel was one of the first of the many American painters who made up the important international artists’ colony that flourished in Giverny for the next quarter-century. Many were drawn there by the presence of French painter Claude Monet (1848–1926), and emulated not only his outdoor painting methods and emphasis on light effects but his local landscape subjects. Flowering Fields, Giverny may have been inspired by Monet’s many paintings of Giverny’s summertime fields of blooming poppies and irises. Particularly in depicting the poppy blooms and grasses of the foreground, Wendel’s technique—using loose dashes and strokes of paint, sometimes thinly layered, sometimes scratched through with the end of the brush handle—is free and spontaneous, evidence of direct painting on-site. The paint strokes resolve themselves, however, into solidly rendered fields, trees, hills, and sky, a pictured scene rather than the swirling pure color, brilliant light, and palpable atmosphere that in Monet’s paintings almost eclipse his ostensible landscape subjects.
For Wendel and his fellow artists in the village, the landscape surrounding Giverny provided an infinite source of motifs and compositions. John Leslie Breck and Theodore Robinson, along with Wendel, painted the village from a distance, either looking across the fields on its south or in panoramic views taken from the hills to the north. Like Wendel’s Brook, Giverny (TF 1987.13), this work testifies to the importance of the village’s surrounding landscape as a catalyst in the formation of the art colony.
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1988
Exhibition History
American Painters in France, 1830–1930, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, June 14–September 3, 1989. [exh. cat.]
Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915 (Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 1–November 1, 1992; April 1–October 31, 1993; April 1–October 30, 1994; April 1–October 31, 1995. [exh. cat.]
Giverny: une impression américaine (Giverny, An American Impression), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 1, 1998.
Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 1, 1999. [exh. cat.]
Giverny au fil des saisons (Giverny in All Seasons), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny France, April 1–November 30, 2001.
D'une colonie à une collection: le Musée d'Art Américain Giverny fête ses dix ans (From a Colony to a Collection: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the Musée d'Art Américain Giverny), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, March 30–June 16, 2002 (on exhibit extended run: March 30–November 30, 2002).
Giverny en fleurs (Giverny in Bloom), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, March 2–November 30, 2003.
Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930 (Passing through Paris: American Artists in France, 1860–1930), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, April 1–October 31, 2005. [exh. brochure]
Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930 (Passing through Paris: American Artists in France, 1860–1930), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, April 1–October 29, 2006. [exh. brochure]
Impressionist Giverny: A Colony of Artists, 1885–1915, Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 1, 2007; San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA, July 21–October 14, 2007. [exh. cat.]
Impressionist Giverny: The Americans, 1885–1915, Selections from the Terra Foundation for American Art, Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Florence Griswold Museum of Art, Old Lyme, Connecticut, May 3–July 27, 2008; Albany Institute of History & Art, Albany, New York, August 23, 2008–January 4, 2009.
Monet and the Artists of Giverny: The Beginning of American Impressionism, The Bunkamura Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan with the Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizers). Venues: Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, Kitakyushu, Japan, October 9–November 28, 2010; The Bunkamura Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan, December 7, 2010–February 17, 2011; The Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art, Okayama, Japan, February 25–April 10, 2011. [exh. cat.]
John Leslie Breck: American Impressionist, Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina (organizer); Venues: Mint Museum Uptown: September 18, 2021 – January 2, 2022; Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, Tennessee: January 22 – March 27, 2022; Figge Museum of American Art, Davenport, Iowa: May 28 – August 28, 2022. [exh. cat.]
Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915 (Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 1–November 1, 1992; April 1–October 31, 1993; April 1–October 30, 1994; April 1–October 31, 1995. [exh. cat.]
Giverny: une impression américaine (Giverny, An American Impression), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 1, 1998.
Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 1, 1999. [exh. cat.]
Giverny au fil des saisons (Giverny in All Seasons), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny France, April 1–November 30, 2001.
D'une colonie à une collection: le Musée d'Art Américain Giverny fête ses dix ans (From a Colony to a Collection: Celebrating the Tenth Anniversary of the Musée d'Art Américain Giverny), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, March 30–June 16, 2002 (on exhibit extended run: March 30–November 30, 2002).
Giverny en fleurs (Giverny in Bloom), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, March 2–November 30, 2003.
Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930 (Passing through Paris: American Artists in France, 1860–1930), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, April 1–October 31, 2005. [exh. brochure]
Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930 (Passing through Paris: American Artists in France, 1860–1930), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, April 1–October 29, 2006. [exh. brochure]
Impressionist Giverny: A Colony of Artists, 1885–1915, Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 1, 2007; San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA, July 21–October 14, 2007. [exh. cat.]
Impressionist Giverny: The Americans, 1885–1915, Selections from the Terra Foundation for American Art, Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Florence Griswold Museum of Art, Old Lyme, Connecticut, May 3–July 27, 2008; Albany Institute of History & Art, Albany, New York, August 23, 2008–January 4, 2009.
Monet and the Artists of Giverny: The Beginning of American Impressionism, The Bunkamura Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan with the Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizers). Venues: Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, Kitakyushu, Japan, October 9–November 28, 2010; The Bunkamura Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan, December 7, 2010–February 17, 2011; The Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art, Okayama, Japan, February 25–April 10, 2011. [exh. cat.]
John Leslie Breck: American Impressionist, Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina (organizer); Venues: Mint Museum Uptown: September 18, 2021 – January 2, 2022; Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, Tennessee: January 22 – March 27, 2022; Figge Museum of American Art, Davenport, Iowa: May 28 – August 28, 2022. [exh. cat.]
The Magazine Antiques 134 (November 1988): 1033. Ill. p. 1033 (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 47, 164; pl. 22, p. 166 (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 47, 164; pl. 22, p. 166 (color).
Gerdts, William H. Monet's Giverny: An Impressionist Colony. New York: Abbeville Press, 1993. Text pp. 49, 66; pl. 57, p. 67 (color).
Gomes, Rosalie. Impressions of Giverny: A Painter's Paradise 1883–1914. San Francisco, California: Pomegranate Artbooks, 1995. Text pp. 20, 112; pl. 20, p. 35 (color).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. et al. Impressionist Giverny: A Colony of Artists, 1885–1915. (exh. cat. Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2007. Text. pp. 33, 61, 77, 212 (checklist); cat. p. 88 (color).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. "Impressionist Giverny: American Painters in France" American Art Review 20.3 (June 2008): 100-113. Ill. p.101 (color).
Houston, Joe et al. In Monet's Garden: Artists and the Lure of Giverny. (exh. cat., Columbus Museum of Art in association with Musée Marmottan Monet). London, England: Scala Publishers, 2007. Text p. 57, ill. fig. 20, p. 57 (color).
Bourguignon, Katherine M., Shunsuke Kijima and Sanjiro Minamikawa. Monet and the Artists of Giverny: The Beginning of American Impressionism. (exh. cat. Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, The Bunkamura Museum of Art, Tokyo, and The Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art). Fukuoka, Japan: The Nishinippon Shimbun, 2010. Text cat. no. 33, pp. 83 (in Japanese), 183-84 (in English); ill. 83 (color).
Buckley, Laurene. Theodore Wendel: True Notes of American Impressionism. North Adams: The Artist Book Foundation, 2019. Text pp. 41; ill. pp. 12, pl. 8, 109 (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 47, 164; pl. 22, p. 166 (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 47, 164; pl. 22, p. 166 (color).
Gerdts, William H. Monet's Giverny: An Impressionist Colony. New York: Abbeville Press, 1993. Text pp. 49, 66; pl. 57, p. 67 (color).
Gomes, Rosalie. Impressions of Giverny: A Painter's Paradise 1883–1914. San Francisco, California: Pomegranate Artbooks, 1995. Text pp. 20, 112; pl. 20, p. 35 (color).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. et al. Impressionist Giverny: A Colony of Artists, 1885–1915. (exh. cat. Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2007. Text. pp. 33, 61, 77, 212 (checklist); cat. p. 88 (color).
Bourguignon, Katherine M. "Impressionist Giverny: American Painters in France" American Art Review 20.3 (June 2008): 100-113. Ill. p.101 (color).
Houston, Joe et al. In Monet's Garden: Artists and the Lure of Giverny. (exh. cat., Columbus Museum of Art in association with Musée Marmottan Monet). London, England: Scala Publishers, 2007. Text p. 57, ill. fig. 20, p. 57 (color).
Bourguignon, Katherine M., Shunsuke Kijima and Sanjiro Minamikawa. Monet and the Artists of Giverny: The Beginning of American Impressionism. (exh. cat. Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, The Bunkamura Museum of Art, Tokyo, and The Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art). Fukuoka, Japan: The Nishinippon Shimbun, 2010. Text cat. no. 33, pp. 83 (in Japanese), 183-84 (in English); ill. 83 (color).
Buckley, Laurene. Theodore Wendel: True Notes of American Impressionism. North Adams: The Artist Book Foundation, 2019. Text pp. 41; ill. pp. 12, pl. 8, 109 (color).