Artists have always looked for the most beautiful objects to paint and display in their work. So it is no surprise that flowers take centre stage in thousands of pieces of art. However, out of this extensive collection, which are the best flower paintings? Read on and take a look at some of our favourites.
The best flower paintings
Judith Leyster: Tulip from Her Tulip Book (1643)
Did you know that in Holland in the 1600’s, tulips cost most per gram than gold? Of course, we all know how beautiful tulips are, but this is still astonishing!
For this reason, the closest thing anyone without serious money could get to a tulip was through paintings. This painting from Judith Leyster was by far the best of the era! The detail in this painting really brings the flower to life and if you couldn’t be lucky enough to receive a bouquet of tulips, this was a decent alternative!
If you want to go and see the painting then it is currently on display at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, North Holland.
Vincent van Gogh: Still Life Vase with Twelve Sunflowers (1888)
Sticking with the theme of Dutch artists, this work of art was painted by perhaps the most famous artist of all time, Vincent van Gogh.
Sunflowers remind us of warm and sunny summer days. For this reason, any painting with sunflowers is sure to make us happy. Van Gogh’s unique watercolour style combined with broad brush strokes is really evident in this photo and helps the cheerful colours to shine through. His expertise has helped to make this one of the best flower paintings in history.
The eagle eyed amongst you my notice that there are in fact 15 sunflowers in this painting and not 12. This is because he updated the painting at a later date but didn’t change the name of the piece!
Claude Monet: Water Lilies (1919)
Those of you who read our previous blog may recognise the location of this painting as one of the 3 most beautiful European gardens. This painting by Claude Monet is of the pond in his garden in Giverny, France. His garden was inspired by the Japanese, whose style Monet admired enormously. For this reason he decided to put the water lilies on the pond, in true Japanese style.
Monet loved water lilies for their ability to reflect sunlight. Monet actually created a series of paintings because of this, which showed the varied appearance of the water lilies at differing times of the day and seasons of the year.
Monet is not alone in his admiration for this flower. They really are a sight to admire!
Georgia O’Keeffe: Oriental Poppies (1928)
Georgia O’Keeffe’s poppies are most probably her most famous piece of art. The painting has been said to be so succesful due to the lack of background, making looking at these flowers a really intense experience. The dark centre really draws people’s attention and is what makes this such a captivating work. What do you think of when you look at this painting?
Andy Warhol: Flowers (1970)
In 1964, Andy Warhol created a portfolio known simply as ‘Flowers’, where original images were cropped and edited to create what we see above. These photos from Warhol take flowers that we know and love and turn them into a very vivid pieces of art.
Whereas flowers are usually included in paintings to make us feel upbeat, it could be said that these flowers created an almost menancing vibe! The contrasting bright colours against the dark background form an almost psycedelic feeling.
Alex Katz: Red Roses with Blue (2001)
Red roses have always been known as the flower of romance and passion. In this painting Alex Katz manages to use this beautiful flower to create one of the best flower paintings through the simplicity of the art.
Katz has always been famous for his use of 3D space and here he manages to create a great sense of flowers protruding off the canvas.
Out of all of these that we have chosen as the best flower paintings, which is your favourite? There is no right answer, after all art is all about opinions. Something that you love may be considered an eye sore by your best friend! However, what we are sure we all agree on is that paintings with flowers in are better than the rest.
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