If you look closely at this still life of flowers in a basket, you’ll notice a dragonfly, a bee, and butterflies.
The insects, like the petals, are still. It’s as if the artist captured the “most beautiful tulip at the perfect moment of readiness,” said Anne Woollett, curator of paintings at the J. Paul Getty Museum. You might also notice that the white rose is not facing the viewer. Instead, it’s the structure and its tiny thorns that are on view. In this way, the artist is revealing the complete miracle of nature.
In the 17th century, art collectors would talk about their appreciation of nature and its connection to a higher power. For example, Federico Borromeo, the Archbishop of Milan, saw nature as evidence of a higher power of creativity when reflecting on Brueghel’s detailed paintings of flowers.
A century later, artist Jan van Huysum's patrons considered his lavish bouquets “miracles of nature.”
“Flowers elicit a fundamental emotional response of wonder or awe,” said Woollett. In the garden, they come and go, but “through the power of art time stands still, and we can possess the bounty of nature."
Below, we offer you a flower-making activity inspired by Getty’s collection.
An Artful Bouquet
- Cut a strip of paper about 11 x 2½ inches
- Draw a ½-inch wide border across the top to make the “no-cut zone”
- Cut small, ¼-inch thick fringe across the entire length (avoid the
“no cut zone”)
- Tape completed strip to the eraser end of a pencil, fringe side up
- Roll, layer upon layer and glue or tape at the end
- Gently press fringe petals down to create fuller blossom (eraser optional)
And there’s more! Find more detailed instructions and to learn how to make an Artful Bouquet of forget-me-nots, hyacinths, tulips, and daisies here.