ESCAPADE OF FLOWER ART

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous, it lies deep in The ART of Flowers"

South Africa is the breeding ground for many beautiful flower species, giving south African Artists endless references for Floral Paintings.

Artist: Colin Wilkinson   

his mother was an artist and it was her creativity and love of nature, music and dance that inspired him - something for which Ian will always be grateful. - See more at: http://www.fineartportfolio.co.za/resume/Ian-Hertslet/134#sthash.vKpzqZIY.dpuf

Historically, and mythologically, flowers represent rebirth, and  fertility. Floral paintings can traditionally be either an external  landscape dominated by flowers, or it can be a still life study of  flowers taken more up-close. South Africa is the breeding ground for  many beautiful plant and flower species, giving South African artists  endless references for floral paintings. - See more at: http://www.fineartportfolio.co.za/category/Florals/15#sthash.qdycsII9.dpuf

 !Some  History on Flowers in Art!

Although a painted arrangement of flowers is not unusual today, flowers as a subject in art began as a minor decorative addition to other subjects.

The earliest flower found in ancient sites is the lotus. It appeared on wall paintings in Egyptian tombs and in low relief sculpture from the earliest dynasties. The lotus blossom was also a motif used in Egyptian jewelry and was the inspiration for the shape of the capital at the top of Egyptian columns.

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During THE GOTHIC era from about 1200-1400 AD, depiction of flowers in paintings became more specific because they were used as symbols of the personality or importance of particular people.

For example, paintings of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary would have a lily representing purity somewhere in the painting. Roses came to symbolize the blood of Christian martyrs in medieval painting. The word carnation comes from the Greek incarnacyon meaning “God becoming flesh”, in other words, Christ assuming human form. This carnation variety was pink (flesh) and was often included in Nativity pictures. 

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But even in THE DUTCH floral paintings there was symbolism.

We see the paintings as beautiful, meticulously rendered, floral arrangements sometimes including tulips, a specialty of Dutch growers and hybridizers.  But, to the people of the time, flowers represented much more than beauty.  Some paintings showed flowers in various stages from just budding, to full bloom, to losing petals. For the Dutch, this was a metaphor for the stages of human life. On close examination, one can often see tiny insects chewing on flowers or leaves. These symbolized decay and death. Butterflies on the flowers are a metaphor of Christ’s resurrection.

 Gallery of 'FLOWER Art'

You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.