Édouard Manet (French, 1832–1883) Flowers in a Crystal Vase, ca. 1882, oil on canvas, 127/8 × 95/8 in. National Gallery
of Art, Washington, D.C., Ailsa Mellon Bruce
Collection,1970.17.37
“I must have flowers, always, and always.”
― Claude Monet
“A flower blossoms for its own joy.”
― Oscar Wilde
“The earth laughs in flowers.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine to the mind.”
― Luther Burbank
“In joy or sadness flowers are our constant friends.”
― Okakura Kakuzō
Flowers are beautiful, yes. But because these fragile masterpieces of petal and leaf, stamen and stem also evoke such profound emotion, they have provided infinite inspiration for painters, poets, writers, and musicians for centuries.
However, you don’t have to be a great painter or poet for botanical beauty to have an impact on you! To celebrate Van Gogh, Manet, and Matisse: The Art of the Flower, which runs through June 21, we recently asked you to share what flowers mean to you on Facebook. As expected, your responses were as unique as flowers themselves.
Here is what you told us:
They have great impact:
“How can you deny there is a God when you see the beauty of a flower?”
“Nature gifts us with flowers so we are reminded to cherish our Mother Earth.”
“They are an ignition for the senses, a true treasure to behold.”
“Flowers are beauty and nature colliding in the great outdoors!”
They recall memories:
“Lilies of the valley mean my grandmother. Lilacs mean my childhood home. Snapdragons mean my mother’s garden. Roses mean my daughter’s recitals. Flowers are expressions of love and beautiful memories.”
They are mood changers:
“Flower shapes, colors, textures, and smells provoke such feeling and mood. . . . I always marvel at their perfection. No matter if they are a dandelion or a rose, they are wonderful.”
“Vibrant colors and smells can life our spirits when we are low. Flowers are one of nature’s masterpieces to enjoy. Sheer joy.”
So today, when you come upon a flower, whether growing in a garden, cut and bundled in a tub of water at the market, or at The Art of the Flower, take in its beauty, but also let that bewitching blossom work its magic on you. Your day will be better for it.