Human Flower Project
Orrington, MAINE USA
Murrieta, CALIFORNIA USA
Princeton, MAINE USA
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Flowers—Making an Impression
The huge collection of Impressionist art at the Musee d’Orsay encompasses flowers in every phase.
Chemin Montant dans les Hautes Herbes, c. 1875
Pierre Auguste Renoir
Silly to play favorites, maybe, but ours among all the floral works of art at the Musee d’Orsay today was this wonderful painting by Pierre Auguste Renoir, “Chemin Montant Dans les Hautes Herbes” (Path through High Grass).
With the interest in portraying “low” subjects – like women washing their feet and folks dancing at an outdoor bar – the Impressionists were naturally drawn to flowers as subjects. Their domestic interiors usually have a vase with some blooms casually spilling out the top, or a ballet dancer may have just received a bouquet of gratitude from the audience. Their fascination with the ephemeral qualities of light gave them also a real feeling for flowers—Manet’s clematis bloom that’s already fading, or these red wildflowers -– the gift of one afternoon.