Bernard Buffet (1928-1999), the representing post-war figurative art master in France, who supported the important territory in art history, enjoying a very high reputation in Asia and cherish among global collectors, making him considered as the artist in the Hall of Fame. His talent was demonstrated while he was young, in 1955 when Buffet was only 27 years old, he was already named as the best out of the top ten post war artists by“Connaissance des Arts”. In 1974, when he was only 46 years old, he was selected as a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts. He has created more than 8,000 works in his life, his amazing creativity has left a series of classic works.



Buffet devoted his life to painting for more than 50 years, his themes were mostly circus clown, toreador , portrait, landscape, flower and still life. After rising up in the art world in the 1940s, in the 1950s, Buffy focused on painting, mostly using melancholy portraits to express the disturbed state of mind among French people after the war. While in the 1960s, the people and objects in his paintings became more high-pitched and indignant through his sharp and rough lines.



In the work "Nature Morte au Panier", the artist outlines rattan basket and fruits with bold and vigorous black lines. Potted flower and rattan basket are placed on the right and left of the painting respectively, the blushing cherries in the center contrasted sharply with the green pears in the fruit basket. The novel composition draws the visual focus of the viewers from the center of the painting all the way to the back, extending the balance of the painting, the blazing force seems to spread from the center to all directions. The distinctive signature and the way in writing the year painted are undoubtedly Buffet's unique marks. They are not hidden in the corner of the painting, but in the centre stage as the main part in balancing the composition of the painting. The potted flower is a cyclamen flower, which often appears in the still life works of Buffet. The vivid red flowers and the heart shaped green leaves though are static in nature, it reveals a sense of restless rhythm. The red cyclamen flower contrasted against the yellow background, both are clearly matched and also contrasted with one another. Flower, being one of the favorites throughout the life of the artist, penetrates his brushstrokes through various periods, witnessing his new experience and comprehension in painting away from his classic technique. The artistic essence of Buffet in employing objects to describe feelings is even more in line with the reserved, subtle and self-cultivated character of the Orient. His acute and concise lines along with the outstanding treatment in spacing have nevertheless exhibited some similarities with traditional Japanese prints. "Nature Morte au Panier" presents the artist's charming style in the 1980s, which is so beyond compare, what a wonderful work.