“Spring Flowers” is one of William Merritt Chase's most ambitious and noteworthy pastel pieces. Chase (1849 – 1916) began experimenting with pastels during an era when they had been disregarded by other artists, producing “Spring Flowers” in an unconventionally large format, atypically featuring the delicate and challenging paints. In this work, Chase implements a pastel technique that mimics the vivid richness of oil paints. The piece is also an homage to the mid-19th century American and European obsession with Japanese culture in its sumptuous colors, delicate lines and ideal of purely visual beauty.

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