Le Poème des saisons, Fructidor

Inspired by Monet’s famous studies of haystacks and the Rouen cathedral, Gustave Cariot was fascinated by the fluctuations of light and colour brought about by the changing seasons. He devoted two series of paintings to exploring this theme. Entitled Le Poème des saisons, with each picture representing a different month, these paintings were exhibited together at the 1903 Salon des Indépendants. The title of the present lot, Fructidor, alludes to the twelfth month of the French Republican Calendar (created during the French Revolution). Fructidor, from the Latin word fructus, began in late August and lasted thirty days.