Ashley Flower

Given the importance of flowers in regards to ceremony, gifts, celebrations, and festivals in so many cultures, it’s no surprise that flowers have been and continue to be the subject of artists.  Floral Art has also defined the legacy of many famous painters, and continues to be one of the most popular categories of art bought and sold today. 

So given the endless variety of flowers on earth, which ones are most often painted?  While no one’s done an formal survey, in general it’s likely the same list of beautiful flowers used for other reasons.  However artist over the centuries have gravitated towards certain species when creating their works of art.

Roses are simply the most famous flower in history.  They have been used to represent love, ceremony, death, and endless other human endeavors.  There are also over 100 varieties which include many colors.  Plus the symbolism of the delicate petals protected by the dangerous thorns is ripe with symbolism.  So it is natural that roses are painted more than any other flower.  Artist for centuries are fine tuned their ability to construct and shape the petals of a rose.

Orchids are more mysterious in that no one knows for sure how many varieties truly exist.  New orchid species are constantly being discovered.  Their cult like following likely stems from the combination of their rarity and variety, and the beauty of so many species.  Painting of orchids has naturally followed, for beauty’s sake but also historically as a matter recording orchid species and information sharing.

If you do a quick search on the web for floral art, another subject you will frequently see is wildflowers.  Wildflowers represents not so much a species but a category of flower, but the fact remains that artists have often tried to capture the brilliance that wildflowers provide in the wilderness.  There are many colors and shapes, and given that they often grow in groups and bunches only makes them more tempting for artist to replicate on canvas.  Contrasting colors of wildflowers in the same setting makes for great art.

Paintings of lilies are popular, big beautiful blooms that last for a long time projected into brilliant paintings.  Correct labeling of a flower as a ‘lily’ seems to be challenging in that there are many species that are similar but not of the official variety.  Regardless, white, pink, orange, red, and purple lilies make great paintings for decorating.

So what other flowers are popular?  There are so many that could complete this list.  Daisies with their simplicity appeal to those wanting to paint with white.  Eastern cultures have made art featuring Lotus flowers renowned.  Tulips, daffodils, and marigolds are standards of spring.  Exotics like Bougainvilleas, Anthuriums, and Birds of Paradise are featured in art from tropical areas the world over.

There are many, likely hundreds, of flower species not discussed here that have been featured in flower paintings.  Given the joy, beauty, and symbolism flowers bring to human cultures, it’s no surprise that flower paintings continue to be as popular as they are.  Floral art is also now more available than ever, one need only to go online to see an endless number of flower galleries and collections.