Monet was inspired by fields of wildflowers like these.
Several iconic paintings by famous artists contain just plants. The mention of many of these artists' names brings to mind images of their extraordinary plant paintings, even if the titles of the paintings are unfamiliar. Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Georgia O'Keefe and Asher Durand are among this select group of artists whose plant paintings are world renowned.
Van Gogh's Plant Paintings
Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853 and died in 1890. Van Gogh was influenced by the Impressionist art movement but developed a style uniquely his own that is instantly identifiable in his paintings. Among his most renowned paintings of plants are Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers (1889), Iris (1889) and Cypresses (1889). These vividly colored, dynamically stroked paintings of plants have a timeless appeal and beauty that endears them to lovers of both classical and modern art.
Monet's Plant Paintings
Claude Monet was born in 1840 in Paris, France and died in 1926. Monet was a key figure in the Impressionist art movement. He painted many famous scenes containing people but his reverence of nature was obvious in all of his paintings. Monet's numerous paintings of water lilies (1897 through 1922), and Irises (1900) are among his best signature floral masterpieces. These graceful, delicately hued paintings are recognized and reproduced on posters in every country of the world.
Georgia O'Keefe's Plant Paintings
Georgia O'Keefe was born in 1887 and died in 1986. She is quite possibly the most famous female American artist, and is best known for her larger-than-life, vivid paintings of flowers. Red Poppy (date unknown), Red Amaryllis (1937), Black Iris (1906) and Blue Morning Glories (date unknown) are among her most famous flower paintings. They have been reproduced and exhibited on posters privately and publicly for decades all over the world.
Durand's Plant Paintings
Asher Durand was one of the most famous Hudson River Valley School artists. Durand was born in 1796 and died in 1886. He believed the study and celebration of nature brought one closer to God. In the Woods (1855), Woodland Stream (date unknown) and Trees, Newburgh, N.Y. (1849) are famous Durand landscape paintings. Each painting represents a nature scene populated only by plants, with details so realistic it is as if one could reach out and feel the different textures of the plants he painted.
