Flowers are arguably the most beautiful creations in nature. Two painters, one European & one English have dedicated their entire life in painting them, bringing out their ephemeral charm.
Pierre Joseph Redoute (1759-1840) was from the Austrian Nederlands. He was the official court artist of Marie Antoinette. (The one who suggested that poor people eat cake & was guillotined!). He lived for 80 years & worked closely with botanists. He produced over 2000 works of 1800 species of flowers & was reckoned the greatest flower painter of all time, earning the nickname of "The Raphael of Flowers." He always painted fresh flowers & not those in a herbarium.
Barbara Nicholson, an English painter in the mid twentieth century, started her career as a medical illustrator, but later switched over to painting flowers. Her work was always preceded by field studies & she invariably painted from fresh materials. Her pictures were botanically accurate & artistically beautiful. Her work is published in "The Illustrated Book of Garden Flowers" & "The Illustrated Book of Wild Flowers" among other publications.
