A flower and still life painter, André Perrachon was a student of Lepage at the Ecole des Beaux Arts of Lyon. Lyon produced an important and remarkable school of flower painters in the 19th century of which Perrachon is an excellent exponent. Perrachon debuted in the Paris salon in 1850 and won honorable mentions in both 1859 and 1863, continuing afterwards to exhibit regularly in the Paris and Lyon Salons. Perrachon was also a most popular art teacher and rose painter. He produced graceful and bountiful compositions of flowers.
Undoubtedly Perrachon's most ambitious canvas, Chez la Marchande de Fleurs (at the Flower Shop) still has all of the qualities of his smaller rose paintings which gained him great recognition. As with any of the Lyon trained flower painters, Perrachon's painting displays sound draughtsmanship, luminous colors and clever composition. This particular painting was exhibited at the Lyon Salon in 1898. Chez la Marchande de Fleurs presents a stunning array of blooms, among them roses and lilacs, set against a richly-textured ground. Perrachon creates a brilliant play of light against the baskets and pots of flowers, skillfully rendering highlight and shadow in order to create a sumptuous and beautiful composition.
Private Collection, Texas
The Greenwich Gallery, 2003
Private Collection, Greenwich, Connecticut, to present
Salon of 1898, Société Lyonnaise des Beaux-Arts, Lyon, cat no. 521, p. 117
