Flowers in a Vase 

Adolphe Monticelli made this oil painting called 'Flowers in a Vase' in France sometime in the mid-19th century. At first glance, it seems a straightforward still life, but it exists in a world where the art market was growing, changing, and influencing the work that artists made. Monticelli's heavy impasto and vibrant colour palette connect him to Impressionism, but his paintings don't depict the social realities, modern life, or fleeting moments that Monet, Manet, and Renoir captured. Instead, his artworks are a decorative fantasy removed from everyday life. The expressive brushwork is reminiscent of Delacroix, but Monticelli lacks the Romantic painter's engagement with history and literature. Monticelli was never accepted into the French Academy. However, he gained popularity in the late 19th century as an artist of the people, with a style that rejected academic standards. To understand the position of an artist like Monticelli, we can study the official exhibition records of the French Academy to see whose art was being shown, and whose was not. We can also look at art criticism from this period to understand contemporary tastes.