10 Flower Paintings Full of Life

[Compiled and published by New Sancai] Throughout history, flowers have always been one of the most popular subjects for painters. Colorful flowers have always inspired painters, from 17th-century Dutch still lifes to Japanese woodblock prints. Floral art has a long and illustrious history, and whether painting roses, irises, peonies, or drawing directly from nature, each artist incorporates his or her own unique style into the painting. Flower paintings can create a timeless feeling of joy, hope, or even melancholy. Here are 10 of the most famous flower paintings that inspired the canvas!

△ "Flowers in a Glass Vase With a Cricket in a Niche": This painting by Rachel Ruysch in 1700 is known as one of the top ten most popular flower paintings in the world. One, not only was she the most famous female artist of the Dutch Golden Age, she also pushed flower painting to a new level. For over 60 years she has been developing her own style of flower painting. Each petal was carefully and meticulously executed, making her stand out from other floral artists of the time.

△ "Still Life With Flowers": Still life painting has always been considered a lesser art type, while the rich preferred religious and historical paintings. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, this situation gradually changed, led by the Dutch, who began to create giant still life paintings, often with floral themes. The picture above was painted in 1617 by the Dutch painter Ambrosius Bosschaert, who was famous for his almost scientific realism in depicting bouquets of flowers. His three sons also became flower artists.

△ "The Water Lily Pond": By the 1890s, painter Claude Monet's financial difficulties had passed. He had saved up and was able to paint for the first time in the small town of Giverny near Paris. Purchase a house and arrange a garden and lily pond. But until 1897, he had only painted about three lotus ponds. The painting above was created in 1899 and has a beautiful composition with trees, weeping willows and bridges in the background. Later, the bridge underwent many reconstructions and the pond was covered by vegetation and lilies.

△ "Bouquet of Flowers": The painter Edouard Manet was a flower lover and often painted flowers. He broke with tradition and painted only flowers on the table rather than bouquets in vases. His energetic brushstrokes made him an important figure between Realism and Impressionism, and also added an enchanting feel to the flowers he painted. The importance of flower paintings to Manet can be seen from the fact that he only painted flowers during the last half year of his life. The picture above shows his work in 1882.

△ Hibiscus: Flowers have a long history in Japanese culture, whether used to create lavish flower arrangements or woodblock prints. The picture above shows the hibiscus flower painted by Japanese painter Utagawa Hiroshige in 1845. The bright orange color pops out on the paper. Hibiscus is also called hanakotoba in Japanese flower language, which means "gentle". The flowers are distributed as a social ritual to welcome visitors. This "Hibiscus" by Utagawa Hiroshige is undoubtedly one of the most popular flower paintings of all time!

△ "Roses and Lillies": French painter Henri Fantin-Latour is an expert on flowers. When Impressionism was on the rise, his works adopted a conservative attitude. He honed his skills by copying paintings from the Louvre. In Roses and Lilies, he used the long stems of lilies to incise the canvas, balancing the plain pink of the tabletop with the white of the rose bouquet. He also shows an excellent use of color, emphasizing the romance of the painting with the blush pink tones of rose petals, which provide a subtle contrast to the rich brown of the wooden table. (1888 work)

△ "Still Life With Irises": Vincent Van Gogh has many famous flower paintings, including the famous "Sunflowers" series. However, many flower advocates around the world still consider his "Iris and Still Life" painted in 1890 to be a masterful work of art. It showcases the painter's creative use of color, with vivid, conflicting tones used brilliantly. There are two versions of this painting, one of which is now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

△ "Lilacs in a Window": In this 1880 painting by Mary Cassatt, a dark vase contains purple and white lilacs that look like Is a ledge or work area in a greenhouse with a support for an adjacent window. This is one of Cassatt's finest works and demonstrates her love of gardens and flowers. Without a doubt, this is also one of the top ten most popular flower paintings!

△ "Flower Garden" (1905): Gustav Klimt's "Garden" was inspired by what he saw during his summer vacation in Litzlberg, Austria landscapes and stunning examples of his golden period. "The Garden", also known as Bauerngarten, depicts a series of flowers cascading from the frame. The painting, which sold at auction in 2017 for $53 million, captures the garden's rustic charm without relying on realism.

△ "Grand Bouquet de Fleurs des Champs" (Grand Bouquet de Fleurs des Champs): In the late 1890s and early 1900s, a large number of oil paintings and pastel flower paintings began to appear in Odilon Redon's paintings, marking the A unique turning point in the artist's career. The above painting "Grand Bouquet of the Champs Elysées" was created around 1900 to 1905, showing that Redon was seeking to expand his art market and was beginning to explore a different path - color became his main focus.

(Author: Melissa Maingot)

(Compiled by: Bai Ding)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: First published by Xinsancai)