Sam MARKITANTE, 'Hydrangeas in a vase', 1930s

H 81 x W 100 cm (Framed: H 96 x W 115 cm)
Oil on canvas, signed lower right
 
This stunning oil on canvas by Samuel Markitante (1887 - 1975) is signed with the artist's recognisable red signature. Hydrangeas were a recurring theme in the artist's oeuvre and here they are rendered with a sparcity that is highly unusual in a still life - and makes the composition particularly elegant and attractive. The painting can be dated to the 1920s, when Markitante was active in France, thanks in part to its exquisite original gilded frame.
 
Markitante was a Jewish artist of Russian descent who fled his native country at the age of 30, with only a handful of personal items (including drawings. and paintings). In France, Markitante soon became a successful artist and was exhibted at the Salon des Artistes Français in the 1920s. During the second world war, the artist was emprisoned by the German occupier for three years. After the war, he moved to America where he started a new life as an artist and teacher.