Thursday, March 15, 2012

Roses in Art – Impressions of the Masters, Series II



The rose has been revered for millions of years as a symbol of love and beauty and has been an inspiration to poets and painters.  Continuing the series from my post on Feb. 27, 2012 regarding Roses in Art ……

In France before and after the French revolution, artists Francois Boucher and Jean-Honore Fragonard who painted the courtly activities of the French monarchy adopted the Rococo style – finely detailed, bright and colorful brushstrokes as shown in Fragonard’s painting of The Lover Crowned in a rose garden setting bursting with movement and color.  Fragonard studied under Boucher who made a big impression on him and adapted Boucher’s lively style.  


Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806)

When the French monarchy ended with the French Revolution, Fragonard lost his favorite subject of courtly love so he eventually moved to the French countryside.  Fragonard noted for his rococo style with curvaceous shapes and animated figures, painted The Lover Crowned around 1771-1772 with an enchanting garden setting full of an exuberant display of roses.  It was orignally commissioned by Countess du Barry, mistress of Louis XV for the salon en cul-de-four in her house in Louveciennes but was later rejected.

Baroque style of painting though started in Rome soon became an international style.  In Holland there were various painters with varied styles.  One of them is Jan Davidsz de Heem who painted Flower Still Life c. 1665.  This still life of flowers including roses has a baroque style – a swirling brushstrokes of the flowers in its vitality that practically jumps at you when you look at the picture. 

           
Francisco De Goya Y Lucientes (1746 – 1828)

Francisco de Goya Y Lucientes is one of the greatest Spanish painters.  He was a Painter to the King of Spain in 1786.  The Flower Women was painted after June 29, 1786 for the Escorial.  The scene is bright and gay against the background of clouds and the mountainside with the ladies exchanging roses.
           
During the Pre-Raphaelite movement, Sir John Everett Millias who founded the movement wanted to stay true to nature and painted the landscape with rose as he saw them in nature. 

Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896)

Millais founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood with Dante Gabriel Rosetti and William Holman Hunt.  Ophelia painted in 1852 is the most eerie of all Pre-Rapaelite landscapes.  The landscape was painted on the River Ewell near Kingston-upon-Thames in Surrey in the summer of 1851.  Elizabeth Siddal posed as Ophelia of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.


Here at Rose Gardening World, we’ll educate you about the Rose - our National Floral Emblem and the state flower of several states.  Welcome to Rose Gardening World where Rose Gardening Tips, Rose Growing Advice, Planning a Rose Garden, Rose Descriptions, Where to Buy Roses, Where to see Rose Gardens, Rose Culture, Rose History, Rose Events, Rose Verses are all here in one place. So, plant a rose today! 

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