Hadrienne Yarz, Painting: *blue Hydrangea Bouquet From The Basque Country*, Pastel, 1930

Hadrienne Yarz (daughter of Edmond Yarz) – Bouquet of Blue Hydrangeas – Art Deco Pastel – Toulouse School – Basque Country

Floral still life depicting a generous bouquet of blue and mauve hydrangeas arranged in a glass vase. The work is signed “Had. Yarz” in the lower right corner.

The globular flower clusters dominate the composition and are rendered in a refined palette of periwinkle blue, cobalt blue, mauve, violet, and white highlights. Several flower heads stand out above the bouquet, while others fall gracefully to the sides. The large green leaves and the way the flowers are arranged identify them as hydrangeas, likely Hydrangea macrophylla, which are particularly common in the gardens of the Basque Country and the western Pyrenees.

The slightly bluish glass vase is rendered with long vertical brushstrokes that convey its transparency and reflections. It rests on a generously draped sea-green fabric, whose diagonal folds structure the lower part of the composition. The cream-colored background, enlivened by light smudges, diffuses a soft light and highlights the freshness of the cool tones.

The close framing, the simplification of the setting, the emphasis on color, and the decorative elegance of the bouquet place the work within the aesthetic of the interwar period and the Art Deco era.

Amélie Sabine Adrienne Yarz, known as Adrienne or Hadrienne Yarz, was born in 1880 in Couladère, in Haute-Garonne. She was the daughter of the landscape painter Edmond Yarz. Coming from Toulouse’s artistic circles, she was represented in 1893 by Henri Rachou, a close collaborator of her father’s and a leading figure in the Toulouse School. Her currently identified body of work consists primarily of floral pastels signed “Had. Yarz.”

An article titled “Our Artists: Mademoiselle H. Yarz,” published by Alex Coutet in *Le Courrier de Bayonne* on December 13, 1933, confirms her recognition as an artist and her connection to the cultural scene of the Basque Country.

The work is mounted under glass in an antique frame consisting of a molded and gilded wooden frame, a wide mat covered with beige canvas, and a gilded inner molding. The reverse side retains an old label from the Toulouse framer Chappe-Lautier, located on Rue du Poids-de-l’Huile in Toulouse.

Artist: Amélie Sabine Adrienne Yarz, known as Adrienne or Hadrienne Yarz
Signature: signed “Had. Yarz” in the lower right corner
Subject: bouquet of blue hydrangeas in a glass vase
Period: first half of the 20th century, Art Deco period
Technique: pastel on paper
Total dimensions with frame: 44 × 36 cm
Dimensions of the visible artwork: 34 × 26 cm
Presentation: framed under glass
Frame: antique molded and gilded wooden frame with a beige canvas mat
Condition: pastel in good overall condition.