Blooming Marvellous The Art of Flowers
6 June — 14 October 2009
Exhibition guide
This exhibition presents a selection of artworks from Walsall’s art collections which we hope will be enjoyed by art lovers and garden enthusiasts alike. Surprisingly diverse, this small collection represents many of the issues and ideas which have been engaged with by artists throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Blooming Marvellous encompasses areas as varied as the relationship between art and gardening, the natural and man made landscape, mortality and the relationship between humans and nature and gender and sexuality.
Marc Quinn, Untitled (from the Winter Garden Series), 2004 Cover Image - Cedric Morris, Irises and Tulips, 1953
The Relationship between Art and Gardening On the front of this leaflet is Cedric Morris’ Irises and Tulips (1953). Once described as a “dirty-handed” gardener, Morris had a great passion for plants and he bred irises. Painting flowers picked from his own garden, he declared that “there must always be great understanding between the painter and the thing painted otherwise there can be no connection and no truth…” The strong, bold and contrasting colours lend such vitality to the flowers that the cut stems seem as if they are actually growing from the terracotta pot in which they are arranged. Jacob Epstein, Freesias (1933). The more abstract a flower painting is, the more difficult it can be to identify the flowers. Whilst nineteenth century flower paintings tend to be more naturalistic and detailed, in the twentieth century they start to become more abstract and expressive. The title identifies the orange flowers as freesias and we believe the blue flowers to be wisteria. Epstein was not a gardener himself but employed a gardener at his house in Epping Forest in order to produce a variety of flowers for him to paint. He also enjoyed painting the natural landscape outside his garden of Epping Forest itself. The unusual colours heighten the vibrancy and expressive intensity of the brushwork. The shock of the orange against the blue evokes tropical fish underwater. It is an interesting juxtaposition, not
Jacob Epstein, Freesias, 1933
just artistically for the contrasting colours and shapes, but also in terms of gardening it is a bold combination. Historically, the enthusiasm for gardening and the rise in flower paintings are so closely related that we may ask how the two disciplines can influence each other. Like artists, some gardeners use flowers to artistic effect. Could a painting inspire a gardener to take a more creative direction in their garden? For Epstein and other artists such as Van Gogh and Redon, flower painting was a form of relaxation and an escape from everyday life, similar to the pleasures of sitting in a garden under the sun.
Mortality and the Relationship between Humans and Nature Flower painting is inextricably associated with still-life painting, in which the theme of ‘vanitas’ has a strong tradition. Popular during the sixteenth century, the ‘vanitas’ often included fruit or flowers as a visual metaphor for the beauty and transience of existence. Charles Stuart Study of Fruit (c.1854-1868). Grapes are associated with Bacchus, the Roman God of wine and intoxication and as such are often symbolic of lust and decadence. The combination of flowers and grapes thus comments on the fleeting nature of earthly delights. In contrast, eggs are a symbol of new life, reflecting everlasting spirituality. Edith Elliot’s Flowers in a Bowl (c.1890– 1911). The flowers and leaves that have fallen from the bowl and lay strewn onto the table invite us to mediate on the brief splendour of life. Elliot’s painting also relates to the theme of gender. Marc Quinn’s Untitled (from the Winter Garden Series) (2004) not only highlights issues of mortality, it also examines the relationship between humans and nature. Quinn presents us with a highly artificial and eternal paradise. Vibrant flowering plants and berries that are separated in nature both geographically and seasonally are shown together in full bloom in snow. Made using specially developed ‘permanent’ pigments which fade at a fraction of the rate of conventional paint, the image itself also defies the
Charles Stuart, Study of Fruit, c.1854-1868
passage of time. It could be argued that this work comprises a modern-day ‘vanitas’ in light of medical advances that prolong life. Like much of his work, this print also explores ideas of what is considered ‘natural,’ scrutinizing the relationship between humans and nature and highlighting how our association is often desire and pleasure driven. His choice of orchids further consolidates his message. Artificial hybrid orchids out number natural varieties by 6:1, thereby demonstrating humanity’s control and manipulation of nature. In his own words: “These flowers growing through snow are real flowers but put together by me in a way that would be impossible in nature. They are the combination of the real configured by desire, and they are precisely what I love to look at.” Artistic licence to combine flowers from different seasons is a common occurrence in flower paintings. Even virtuoso renderings are more often illusionary rather than accurate. Yoshihiro Suda’s Fleming Parrot (Tulip), (2002). The delicate, complex flower is hand carved and painted using traditional
Japanese pigments. Described as a ‘hyper-realistic depiction of nature,’ the tulip is precise in colour, texture and size, and invites us to meditate on the human, the natural and the artificial. The perpetually falling petal, frozen in time, again encourages us to contemplate the fleeting nature and magnificence of life. The gallery setting plays an integral part in the artwork. He said himself that ‘when one sees something, there is no way he can eliminate the space surrounding it.’ The delicacy and fragility of Suda’s work embodies his observation that ‘a plant can only live by adapting itself to the environment when its seed is first planted in the ground.’ Edward Elliot, The Glory of the Dying Day,(late nineteenth century/early twentieth century). This painting is the only work in the exhibition that depicts a totally natural landscape untouched by
human influence. Most landscapes that we regard as ‘natural’ have been shaped by humanity in some way often through farming methods such as sheep grazing. Elliot presents a tranquil view of rolling hills covered with flowering heather. The deep purple of the heather and the pale shade of the oaks in the mid-ground, indicate the waning of summer, revealing this to be an early autumnal scene. R.R. Carter’s Water Meadows Sussex, (late nineteenth century/early twentieth century), has the appearance of a natural landscape but signs within the scene betray the influence of man. The small copse of old trees in the mid-ground gives an idea of what the landscape would have looked like before it was cultivated for grazing. The land has been repeatedly dredged over generations of farming so that the banks now fall steeply into the stream.
Edward Elliot, The Glory of the Dying Day, late nineteenth century/early twentieth century.
Exploration Melanie Carvahlo’s Rhodroponicum (2005) also comments on the artificial and aligns with another theme inherent in the history of flower painting – exploration. The work was inspired by Carvahlo’s journey around the West Coast of Scotland. She discovered an unexpectedly ‘tropical Scotland’ because of the introduction of non-native plants such as rhododendrons, which now thrive there because of the Gulf Stream. Combining flora and urban imagery the collage presents an unfamiliar and imaginary view of Scotland, far removed from traditional scenes of rugged moorland which can be glanced at through the window in the centre of the work. Exploration, botany and art have a long associative history dating back to the fifteenth century when an interest in herbalism and the practical uses of plants inspired the study and representation of flowers.
Melanie Carvahlo, Rhodroponicum, 2005
Antony Gross, Stubble Field, (1975). Gross travelled extensively throughout Europe and North Africa and always worked from life. Whilst this etching does not attempt to record every exact detail of his observations, the image evokes the reality of the landscape, with a kind of essential accuracy similar to that of botanical and topographical artists. Strikingly, on first glance the image appears as nothing more than a tangle of lines but then a sudden emphasis on a detail arrests your attention, you start to notice different types of grasses, individual plants and a pair of mating butterflies, and suddenly you can see the landscape.
Anthony Gross, Stubble Field, 1975
Gender and Sexuality Whilst Van Gogh’s Sunflowers may be one of the most famous paintings of flowers, there is a tendency to associate flower pieces with female artists. Edith Elliot Flowers in a Bowl (Primulas) (c.1890–1911). During the nineteenth century, the masculine traits of art including being well-read, independent, and competitive, were considered improper for a lady so female artists were denied formal training. They were also severely limited in their choice of subject matter; it was felt that if women should paint at all, their work should be decorative, and in particular, they should paint flowers. Restricted training and subject matter, has resulted in the unfortunate tendency to stereotype the work of nineteenth century female artists as mediocre and uninspiring. Helen Chadwick, Coitus (1993). Many female artists working in the late twentieth century challenged gender stereotyping. Chadwick was renowned for images that question gender representations and the nature of desire. The daisies and blue background evoke clear summer days. In the centre are two black ladybirds. Pollinating insects are the powerful sexual intermediary in the fertilization of flowers. In line with the title, the image of the daisies appears like a drop of liquid, alluding to sexual bodily fluids. Flowers have long been associated with sensuality in the history of art. Elin Morgan
Edith Elliot, Flowers in a Bowl (Primulas), c.1890-1911
Helen Chadwick, Coitus, 1993
For more information on the Permanent Collections at The New Art Gallery visit the Art Library on Mezzanine level or visit thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk to search the collections online. All works form the Garman Ryan Collection, The New Art Gallery Walsall.
The New Art Gallery Walsall Gallery Square Walsall WS2 8LG 01922 654400 thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk