Notes

By 1920, in addition to painting still lifes, Van Dongen also accepted portrait commissions. Soon, his reputation as a pre-eminent portraitist among the elite society of Paris, garnered him extraordinarily high wages for his works. This granted him financial security, but it also allowed him the freedom to devote significant time to his unending quest for originality. When not completing commissions, Van Dongen returned to his passion, the genre of still life, where he continued to play with color and form. Such can be seen in Still Life with Chrysanthemums and a View of Montmartre. Works like Still Life with Chrysanthemums and a View of Montmartre were painted during the peak of Van Dongen’s career and are among the most desirable works by the artist available today.