Reminder: Dutch Flowers at the National Gallery in London 6 April – 29 August 2016 Our Coverage Sponsored by Maine Woolens
Maine Woolens is a weaver of blanket and throws located in Brunswick, Maine. We work primarily with natural fibers, like cottons and worsted wools and are committed to using renewable natural fibers from American growers whenever possible. We do piece dyeing and package dyeing in house and the combined experience of our excellent employees exceeds 300 years. Our wool and cotton blankets and throws are 100 percent machine washable, soft and luxurious to the touch, cozy warm and comfortably light. We have many styles to choose from. Our clients are very positive about our products and happy to support a Made in Maine, USA company. Jo Miller is a Mover and Shaker:
Visit our website at www.mainewoolens.com
We have been highly recommended by Whom You Know:
Maine Woolens, affordable luxury and tradition.
***
The National Gallery welcomes spring with a free Room 1 exhibition exploring the evolution of Dutch flower painting over the course of two centuries - the first display of its kind in the UK for more than twenty years.
Dutch Flowers opens to the public on Wednesday 6 April (runs until 29 August).
Dutch Flowers 6 April – 29 August 2016 Room 1 Admission free
***
The National Gallery will welcome spring with an exhibition exploring the evolution of Dutch flower painting over the course of two centuries. This is the first display of its kind in the UK for more than twenty years. Through twenty-two works, Dutch Flowers will examine the origins of the genre, the height of its popularity in the Dutch Golden Age and its final flowering in the late eighteenth century. Approximately half the works on display will come from the Gallery’s permanent collection, and the rest from private collections. Many of the paintings will be on display here for the first time, having only recently come to the Gallery on long term loan. At the turn of the seventeenth century, Netherlandish painters such as Jan Brueghel the Elder, Ambrosius Bosschaert and Roelandt Savery were among the first artists to produce paintings that exclusively depicted flowers. The sudden emergence of this genre is undoubtedly linked to the development of scientific interest in botany and horticulture at the close of the sixteenth century. This period saw the establishment of botanical gardens in the Netherlands as well as a booming international trade in exotic cultivars. By the 1630s, speculative prices for the most coveted bulbs and flowering plants had reached spectacular heights - the so-called ‘Tulipmania’. Prices soon crashed, however the Dutch enchantment with flowers endured. Dutch Flowers 6 April – 29 August 2016 Room 1 Admission free PRESS RELEASE The earliest flower paintings feature flat, symmetrical arrangements comprising flowers from different seasons. Over the course of the seventeenth century, bouquets become more relaxed, with asymmetrical rhythms and a willingness to overlap even the most costly flowers to create a more natural sense of depth. By the end of the eighteenth century, flower paintings were considered largely decorative, with a lighter palette more in keeping with ‘modern’ tastes. Throughout the period, many artists favoured smooth copper or wood panel supports that enhanced the illusionistic perfection of their brushwork. Coinciding with the Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows, visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to examine the flower paintings in detail to appreciate the stylistic and technical characteristics of each artist. Betsy Wieseman, Curator of Dutch and Flemish Paintings said “This gorgeous display draws attention to the National Gallery’s extensive collection of Dutch flower paintings from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It is the first exhibition in London to be devoted to this perennially popular theme in over 20 years. The recent addition of several extraordinary long-term loans to the National Gallery’s collection, on view here for the first time, enables the Gallery to show how flower painting developed in the Netherlands over the course of two centuries. Every major figure in the genre is represented, including Jan Brueghel the Elder, Ambrosius Bosschaert, Jan Davidsz de Heem, Jan van Huysum and Rachel Ruysch.” Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery said, “The exhibition is an opportunity to admire the exquisite skill of Dutch flower painters over a period of nearly 200 years in works from the National Gallery and from private collections. They are paintings of astounding quality and beauty, often rich in symbolism and historic interest. “
Dates and opening hours Open to public: Wednesday 6 April 2016 Daily 10am–6pm (last admission 5pm) Fridays 10am–9pm (last admission 8.15pm)
DUTCH FLOWERS RELATED EVENTS From short courses and talks to painting workshops, explore our Dutch Flowers exhibition with a wide range of related events. Whether a lecture on Still Life and ‘Tulipmania’ in Dutch society or a short course on painting flowers in Embankment Gardens, visit our website for further information on all related exhibition events
