Artwork
The Fourteenth of July
The Fourteenth of July is an oil painting by the Cubism Synthetic artist Roger de La Fresnaye. It dates from 1914 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
About this work
Overview
Roger de La Fresnaye’s 1914 oil on canvas titled The Fourteenth of July is part of the collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The work presents a compact landscape populated by two figures and a tricolour flag, rendered in a vivid palette that emphasizes contrast and motion.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts a man in a pink shirt and purple trousers standing with a hand on his hip, opposite a seated figure in a yellow shirt and white pants whose right leg is crossed over the left. Between them waves a flag of red, white and blue, suggesting a celebration or national observance, likely referencing France’s Bastille Day.
Technique & Style
De La Fresnaye combines smooth, controlled brushwork with areas of thick impasto, creating a tactile surface that alternates between polished planes and textured strokes. Dominant blues and yellows generate a lively chromatic tension, while the varied handling of paint conveys a sense of kinetic energy, making the figures and flag appear to project outward.
History & Provenance
Executed at the outset of World War I, the painting entered the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s holdings through acquisition in the mid‑20th century. Its presence in the museum’s European modernist collection reflects the institution’s commitment to representing early 20th‑century French avant‑garde painting.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
