My favorite bouquet

With just over a week until Valentine's Day, I can almost feel the tension of all those people ordering flowers for someone special. And all those who are anticipating the delivery of a bouquet to their office next Friday.

I love getting flowers as much as the next person. But what I like as much as receiving them — or perhaps even more — is watching them slowly dry up, the petals twisting and turning, curling up or hanging slack, the color leaching away.

And there's only one thing better than a dead bouquet and that's a drawing of it. The ultimate practitioner of that art is Horst Janssen. His work includes the most unsentimental drawings of flowers, trees and landscapes of any artist I know. 

When I was younger, I did a triptych of an Amaryllis in pencil and watercolor, all pale pink and green and watery brown. Once I saw Janssen's Amaryllis, I realized  how little I knew about flowers and about drawing. 

All I know now is that I'd take any of these fading Amaryllis portraits over the real thing any day — including Valentine's. 

HORST JANSSEN: 1929 - 1995

Comments

[Frances]

Oh my goodness, Linda, those are sublime! What an eye, a genius. Thanks for showing us, I had not heard of him before.
Frances

[Lecia]

I'm with you - I love these unsentimental drawings. They are startlingly beautiful.

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Frances — I used to take a summer art class in Door Co., WI — that's kind of our Cape Cod — and one of my teachers introduced me to Janssen's work. He's become a big favorite of mine and an influence on my own drawings. And thanks again for adding me to your blogroll!

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Lecia — the other artist who does lots of unsentimental florals is Jim Dine. I think most people know his tools but there is a whole book — "Flowers and Plants" is the title — that showcases garden work.

[style court]

Linda -- you have an amazing ability to see beauty where others overlook it. Thanks for the Dine reminder too.

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Courtney — That is a very nice compliment coming from someone with an eye as astute as yours! You probably already know it, but Mondrian did wonderful flowers as did Goethe, Joseph Beuys, and Paul Klee.

[Randi Wardenær]

Iam an Norwegan Artist in
Drawing ,painting and skupture--
All my inspiration is -
Horst Jansen--
The beutiful Dayry of an ammarylles
is the first I se in my living
kitchen room -
and many of Books and grapih prints are Horst Jansen

[catalina]

HI Linda!
I have dropped into your blog just randomly through google and I am enjoying it a lot! I also love nature and arts... thanks for this beautiful post! :)
Catalina