Let’s take a closer look...
Today’s artwork is Jan van Huysum’s Bouquet of Flowers in an Urn, which was painted in 1724. This clever composition juxtaposes a variety of flowers, all of which appear to be in full bloom, with a number of insects such as different kinds of butterflies and ants.
Although the composition looks as if the flowers were placed aimlessly in a bouquet, in reality they weren’t. In fact, the different kinds of flowers shown here, normally bloom in different seasons throughout the year. Thus, it would have been impossible for Van Huysum to have painted this work in one go. Rather, each flower was painted as it became available, arranged within the composition according to the artist’s wishes.
Jan van Huysum’s interest in nature is evident here. Flower painters often had an interest in botanical studies and would spend hours upon hours studying, classifying and drawing each individual flower. Look at this detail!
Each flower and each petal have been given hours of attention by the artist. Furthermore, one has to keep in mind that during the eighteenth century, artists still had to mix their own paint from pigments. The artist’s dexterity with form is not the only remarkable element of this work - Van Huysum’s skills as a colourist are also exemplified here.
And of course, what would a flower painting be without a few elements of trompe-l'œil?! First, the water droplets that can be seen on a few areas in the work. Here’s just one example of them:
And then, the small matter of signing one’s work:
Jan Van Huysum, you clever bastard.
It has been posited by several scholars that Dutch flower paintings, much like vanitas, served a didactic and sometimes religious purpose. As each flower blooms and then dies, so does human life, and it must follow this pattern of the circle of life and death.
What do you guys think? I just like staring at pretty pictures like this one so much.
Your friendly neighbourhood art historian.
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