Flowers are naturally eye-catching, whether growing in a field or in a vase on the kitchen table. Their variety of shape, color, and texture are perfect examples of the beauty of nature. And being beautiful is all part of the job for a flower: the plants must use these visual cues to attract pollinators who will keep the blooms blooming!
Flowers’ appeal has made them the subject of art for as far back as we can remember. Painters, illustrators, photographers, and fashion designers have all captured blossoms in their many forms in works of art. In addition to their beauty, artists have been attracted to flowers for their symbolism. Red flowers, for example, symbolized Mary in early Christian paintings, and wilting flowers hinted at mortality in the Victorian era. The meanings attributed to certain flowers helped viewers interpret the artists’ works.
Here, we will highlight just a few of the most famous flower paintings throughout the last 500 years.
Irises (1889)
Van Gogh
Van Gogh created several paintings of colorful blue irises. He gave each iris in his work a unique shape, paying particular attention to each bloom’s curvature and growth pattern. Van Gogh painted these irises that grew in the garden of the French asylum he had checked himself into. He considered the paintings a study, and worked from nature. There are few blue flowers in nature, making irises even more attractive.
Flowers (1907)
Henri Matisse
Flowers were part of Henri Matisse’s life at an early age; his parents owned a flower business in Picardy, France. The colorful blooms became a prominent subject in Matisse’s paintings, like in his famous work simply called “Flowers.” The paintings depict many-colored flowers in a white pitcher. It is in his earlier “Divisionist” style with unblended patches of bold color.
Water Lilies (1914-26)
Claude Monet
Claude Monet created a series of paintings called “Water Lilies” over the final 30 years of his life. The artist drew his subject matter from the elaborate pond and gardens he had made at his home in Giverny, France. The Japanese inspired gardens and water features were a constant source of inspiration for the artist, whose images of the water lilies evolved over the years. Water lilies are most often found in the calm waters of temperate climates. The flowers have showy, white petals that are waxy and water resistant.
Flowers (1964)
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol’s Flowers were created by painting the blooms on a silk screen and creating a print. He continually experimented with different colors and layering on his original template to create a garden of repeated floral images--a technique he was known for. What Warhol was not known for, however, was featuring natural subjects in his work. The artist more commonly focused on commercial and pop culture symbols, making his genre called “pop art.” Although critics tried, they were not able to actually identify the type of flower in Warhol’s print. Some called it Anemones while others guessed at Nasturtium. The flowers each had 5 petals and a circular center, common to many flowers like Gerber daisies, violets, and pansies. In fact, Warhol based his flower on a photograph of a flower, rather than a bloom he had seen in nature.
Red Roses with Blue (2001)
Alex Katz
Alex Katz is a living artist who has been known in the art world since the 1960s. He painted flowers back then, but departed from the subject until the early 2000s when he produced many floral paintings. Katz’s work features simplified shapes and bold colors, like the bright blue and red shown on the canvas of this painting. As the title suggests, Red Roses with Bluedepicts red roses and green leaves growing on their stems among a fence. Red roses are highly symbolic, with their most common meaning being love and romance. Viewers would likely have this in mind when looking at the painting.
Flowers are a popular subject for all types of art work, including paintings. As you can see by the wide range of styles covered here, there is no wrong way to paint a flower. Next time you see a piece of art, study the bloom to see if you can determine what variety of flower it is. The type of flowers may give you further insights into the artist’s intent with the work, and it is a fun activity to look for your favorite flowers. You may even want to try your hand at painting flowers yourself!
This article was published by Chad Kremp
