DOI issue:
No. 359 (January 1923)
DOI article:Quigley, Jane: The flower-piece in modern art
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21397#0050
THE FLOWER-PIECE IN MODERN ART
highest order is subordinated to apprecia-
tion of the flower's beauty, give one
something of the pleasure found in certain
gardens ; gardens where one feels free to
wander, in harmony with the spirit of
flowers, 0 a a a a
Somewhat opposed to this tranquil,
reverent spirit is the flower-piece in which
flowers are but part of the table decoration,
placed there merely to glorify the feast; a
property of the studio, massed for the sake
of colour-effect amidst the wine flagons.
Almost we can smell the wine and the
cigars and all that atmosphere so alien to
the life of flowers. Such comments may
seem captious, almost absurd, for many of
these works are triumphs of virtuosity,
masterly in colour and brush-work, and
on this account appeal to many, though
they lack that quality which appeals to the
true lover of nature. 000
Japanese traditions have obviously
influenced much modern flower-painting,
and this influence, with its regard for
simplicity and pattern, has been of
great value. As these ideals of simplicity
and restraint dawn upon the popular
intelligence in this country, the average
room may, in time, become a more fitting
background for works of art, which are too
often lost in the medley of ugly and
meaningless things seen in the homes of
people insensitive to environment. 0
A certain impressionism is essential
in painting flowers, which, in the nature
of things, so quickly change and fade.
Hence those laboured imitations painters
have given us in the past fail to satisfy.
Owing to their ephemeral nature, flowers
must be painted with eager concentration,
in u a fine careless rapture," as in the work
of the late Mr. Francis James, who was
a master in this exacting branch of art.
It was after incessant labour that he
learned to express, with rapidity and ease,
something of the soul of the flower. 0
30
u HYDRANGEA.” OIL PAINTING
BY GEORGE SHERINGHAM
(Goupil Gallery Salon, 1922)
highest order is subordinated to apprecia-
tion of the flower's beauty, give one
something of the pleasure found in certain
gardens ; gardens where one feels free to
wander, in harmony with the spirit of
flowers, 0 a a a a
Somewhat opposed to this tranquil,
reverent spirit is the flower-piece in which
flowers are but part of the table decoration,
placed there merely to glorify the feast; a
property of the studio, massed for the sake
of colour-effect amidst the wine flagons.
Almost we can smell the wine and the
cigars and all that atmosphere so alien to
the life of flowers. Such comments may
seem captious, almost absurd, for many of
these works are triumphs of virtuosity,
masterly in colour and brush-work, and
on this account appeal to many, though
they lack that quality which appeals to the
true lover of nature. 000
Japanese traditions have obviously
influenced much modern flower-painting,
and this influence, with its regard for
simplicity and pattern, has been of
great value. As these ideals of simplicity
and restraint dawn upon the popular
intelligence in this country, the average
room may, in time, become a more fitting
background for works of art, which are too
often lost in the medley of ugly and
meaningless things seen in the homes of
people insensitive to environment. 0
A certain impressionism is essential
in painting flowers, which, in the nature
of things, so quickly change and fade.
Hence those laboured imitations painters
have given us in the past fail to satisfy.
Owing to their ephemeral nature, flowers
must be painted with eager concentration,
in u a fine careless rapture," as in the work
of the late Mr. Francis James, who was
a master in this exacting branch of art.
It was after incessant labour that he
learned to express, with rapidity and ease,
something of the soul of the flower. 0
30
u HYDRANGEA.” OIL PAINTING
BY GEORGE SHERINGHAM
(Goupil Gallery Salon, 1922)