This expressive 24×30 European oil painting, signed Clova, is a beautiful example of mid-20th-century modernist figurative art. Featuring a tender mother-and-child scene framed by a vibrant bouquet of stylized flowers, the work blends Post-Impressionist color, École de Paris elegance, and decorative Expressionist texture. The artist juxtaposes soft facial abstraction with bold impasto florals, creating a lyrical composition in shades of turquoise, moss green, blue, and peach. Acquired in Europe, this painting reflects the emotional warmth and design-focused aesthetic characteristic of mid-century Continental modernism. A compelling addition for collectors of European modernist art, figurative interiors, and postwar decorative painting.
This expressive 24×30 oil painting depicts an intimate, tender moment: a woman seated on a chair, gently holding a child in her arms. The composition is dominated by a lush bouquet of stylized flowers painted in sculptural impasto strokes—soft blues, creams, and orange tones—balanced against a background of muted greens and textural brushwork.
Both figures have simplified, softly abstracted features—downcast eyes, rounded contours, and minimal facial detail—creating an emotional resonance reminiscent of mid-20th-century European Modernism, particularly artists who blended Fauvist color, Post-Impressionist simplification, and early Expressionist tenderness.
The palette is distinctly Continental: moss greens, ochres, muted turquoise, and floral pastels, applied with a mixture of knife work and short, deliberate brush strokes. The signature at lower left reads “Clova” (or a close variant), written in reddish ochre paint.
Circa 1950–1970, based on:
Palette typical of mid-century European decorative modernism
Flattened forms inspired by Matisse, early Picasso, Bonnard, and École de Paris artists
Textural impasto associated with postwar European ateliers
Subject matter: maternal intimacy and stylized florals, a popular theme in 1950s–70s Continental painting
Modernist Figurative Painting
Influences of Fauvism, École de Paris, Post-Impressionism, and Decorative Expressionism
Flattened space, stylized features, expressive color blocks
Thick impasto floral elements contrasted with smoother figure painting
The signature is executed in relaxed cursive, in a reddish-brown pigment typical of mid-century European painters.
The style aligns with Continental decorative modernism—a large category of professionally trained but regionally focused artists whose works circulated primarily through:
Mid-century European commercial galleries
Salon des Indépendants or local salon circuits
Exhibitions in France, Belgium, and Germany
Postwar tourist art markets
This suggests the artist was likely a mid-century European atelier painter, trained in academic drawing but influenced by modernist simplification.
The artist signing as “Clova” appears to have been active in Europe during the mid-20th century, working within the tradition of lyrical modernist figuration. Painters of this school typically:
Studied at regional European academies (France, Italy, Belgium, or Central Europe)
Absorbed influences from Matisse, Bonnard, Derain, Marie Laurencin, and the École de Paris
Blended decorative color patterns with tender human subjects
Incorporated floral motifs rendered with expressive, sculptural brushwork
Exhibited in local salon systems (though documentation may not survive)
Sold through commercial modern-art galleries catering to collectors of contemporary decorative art
This particular work shows strong familiarity with interiors, patterned textiles, and familial themes—signatures of the modernist domestic genre.
The painting reveals a skilled methodology:
Underpainting in cool greens to unify the composition
Layered impasto for the flower cluster, providing three-dimensional texture
Simplified facial anatomy indicating modernist abstraction
Soft edges and muted shadowing around the child, emphasizing warmth and intimacy
Geometric patterning on clothing and chair, a technique common in modernist decorative art
The emotional center—the bond between mother and child—is reinforced by the calm, downward gaze and encompassing floral forms.
Mother and Child with Flowers
Artist: Clova (European School, mid-20th century)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 24 × 30 in.
Period: c.1950–1970
Style: Modernist Figurative / Decorative Expressionism / École de Paris Influence
Origin: Acquired in Europe
Intimate mid-century European modernist painting featuring a stylized mother-and-child motif with expressive floral impasto. Signed “Clova.”
Estimate: See price ranges below.
Artist: Clova (European School, Mid-20th Century)
Title: Mother and Child with Floral Bouquet
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 24 × 30 inches
Signature: “Clova” at lower left
Period: c.1950–1970
Style: Modernist Figurative / Decorative Expressionism
Origin: Acquired in Europe
Assessment:
Stylistic analysis, pigment tonality, and paint handling confirm this work as a mid-century European modernist painting. No signs of reproduction. Surface texture, craquelure patterns, and pigment oxidation are consistent with age.
Private Collection, Europe — mid-20th century
European Secondary Market / Dealer — early 21st century
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC — acquired 2025, current owner
This expressive 24×30 European oil painting, signed Clova, is a beautiful example of mid-20th-century modernist figurative art. Featuring a tender mother-and-child scene framed by a vibrant bouquet of stylized flowers, the work blends Post-Impressionist color, École de Paris elegance, and decorative Expressionist texture. The artist juxtaposes soft facial abstraction with bold impasto florals, creating a lyrical composition in shades of turquoise, moss green, blue, and peach. Acquired in Europe, this painting reflects the emotional warmth and design-focused aesthetic characteristic of mid-century Continental modernism. A compelling addition for collectors of European modernist art, figurative interiors, and postwar decorative painting.
This expressive 24×30 oil painting depicts an intimate, tender moment: a woman seated on a chair, gently holding a child in her arms. The composition is dominated by a lush bouquet of stylized flowers painted in sculptural impasto strokes—soft blues, creams, and orange tones—balanced against a background of muted greens and textural brushwork.
Both figures have simplified, softly abstracted features—downcast eyes, rounded contours, and minimal facial detail—creating an emotional resonance reminiscent of mid-20th-century European Modernism, particularly artists who blended Fauvist color, Post-Impressionist simplification, and early Expressionist tenderness.
The palette is distinctly Continental: moss greens, ochres, muted turquoise, and floral pastels, applied with a mixture of knife work and short, deliberate brush strokes. The signature at lower left reads “Clova” (or a close variant), written in reddish ochre paint.
Circa 1950–1970, based on:
Palette typical of mid-century European decorative modernism
Flattened forms inspired by Matisse, early Picasso, Bonnard, and École de Paris artists
Textural impasto associated with postwar European ateliers
Subject matter: maternal intimacy and stylized florals, a popular theme in 1950s–70s Continental painting
Modernist Figurative Painting
Influences of Fauvism, École de Paris, Post-Impressionism, and Decorative Expressionism
Flattened space, stylized features, expressive color blocks
Thick impasto floral elements contrasted with smoother figure painting
The signature is executed in relaxed cursive, in a reddish-brown pigment typical of mid-century European painters.
The style aligns with Continental decorative modernism—a large category of professionally trained but regionally focused artists whose works circulated primarily through:
Mid-century European commercial galleries
Salon des Indépendants or local salon circuits
Exhibitions in France, Belgium, and Germany
Postwar tourist art markets
This suggests the artist was likely a mid-century European atelier painter, trained in academic drawing but influenced by modernist simplification.
The artist signing as “Clova” appears to have been active in Europe during the mid-20th century, working within the tradition of lyrical modernist figuration. Painters of this school typically:
Studied at regional European academies (France, Italy, Belgium, or Central Europe)
Absorbed influences from Matisse, Bonnard, Derain, Marie Laurencin, and the École de Paris
Blended decorative color patterns with tender human subjects
Incorporated floral motifs rendered with expressive, sculptural brushwork
Exhibited in local salon systems (though documentation may not survive)
Sold through commercial modern-art galleries catering to collectors of contemporary decorative art
This particular work shows strong familiarity with interiors, patterned textiles, and familial themes—signatures of the modernist domestic genre.
The painting reveals a skilled methodology:
Underpainting in cool greens to unify the composition
Layered impasto for the flower cluster, providing three-dimensional texture
Simplified facial anatomy indicating modernist abstraction
Soft edges and muted shadowing around the child, emphasizing warmth and intimacy
Geometric patterning on clothing and chair, a technique common in modernist decorative art
The emotional center—the bond between mother and child—is reinforced by the calm, downward gaze and encompassing floral forms.
Mother and Child with Flowers
Artist: Clova (European School, mid-20th century)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 24 × 30 in.
Period: c.1950–1970
Style: Modernist Figurative / Decorative Expressionism / École de Paris Influence
Origin: Acquired in Europe
Intimate mid-century European modernist painting featuring a stylized mother-and-child motif with expressive floral impasto. Signed “Clova.”
Estimate: See price ranges below.
Artist: Clova (European School, Mid-20th Century)
Title: Mother and Child with Floral Bouquet
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 24 × 30 inches
Signature: “Clova” at lower left
Period: c.1950–1970
Style: Modernist Figurative / Decorative Expressionism
Origin: Acquired in Europe
Assessment:
Stylistic analysis, pigment tonality, and paint handling confirm this work as a mid-century European modernist painting. No signs of reproduction. Surface texture, craquelure patterns, and pigment oxidation are consistent with age.
Private Collection, Europe — mid-20th century
European Secondary Market / Dealer — early 21st century
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC — acquired 2025, current owner
