Painters [*/ ) Flowers | Paintings by Auguste Herbin, 1904-1911

Auguste Herbin, Nature morte aux fleurs, 1910

It was in 1908, soon after moving into the Bateau-Lavoir and taking up the adjacent studio to that of Picasso, that Auguste Herbin first adopted the principles of Cubism. In contrast to the approach of Georges Braque or indeed that of Juan Gris, Herbin was quick to reject the dogma of achromia and its strict vocabulary, preferring instead to focus on the purification and simplification of volume, the pairing of geometric forms and vibrant colors. The innovative paintings executed by Herbin between 1908 and 1912 earned him the respect and recognition of the greatest collectors of the period, including Léonce Rosenberg, Wilhelm Uhde and even Alfred Flechtheim, who all purchased work directly from the artist’s studio. (…)