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\u201cSunflowers?\u201d\u00a0 I hear you say, \u201cOh yes it was Van Gogh who painted all those paintings of sunflowers, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0 Well, yes, this is true but there is so much more to the story of the sunflower and our speaker Twigs Way was keen to tell us about its place across the years\u00a0 in many cultures.<\/p>\n
But first, a word or two about Vincent Van Gogh.\u00a0 Sunflowers had a special significance for him – yellow was an emblem\u00a0 of happiness and in Dutch literature the sunflower was a symbol of devotion and loyalty but also represented decay.\u00a0 Van Gogh painted two series of sunflowers (in French \u2018Tournesols\u2019, the first shows them lying on the ground while the second shows the beautiful flowers in a vase, painted when Van Gogh was awaiting the arrival of his friend Paul Gauguin.\u00a0 One account of Van Gogh\u2019s death tells us that he died beside a stack of his sunflower paintings but another says that he died while painting in wheat fields!\u00a0 Who knows?<\/p>\n
Twigs reminded us that that the Aztecs revered this flower and their nobility wore jewel-laden sunflower symbols.\u00a0 Renaissance Europe acknowledged the sunflower\u2019s importance –\u00a0 an 18ft specimen was recorded in Madrid and it became a prized specimen of\u00a0 the Italian Medici court.\u00a0 The 16th century English botanist John Gerarde grew sunflowers in his London garden though he was not sure about the flower\u2019s ability to turn towards the sun!\u00a0 Twigs\u2019 view was that perhaps 16th century London summers were \u2018sunless\u2019\u2026.<\/p>\n
If you have read Ovid you will remember the water nymph Clytie who is abandoned by the sun god Helios (Apollo) and follows his movements so much so that the Greek gods take pity on her and turn her into a sunflower.\u00a0 Somehow Apollo\u2019s association with the great flower ensured that the sunflower became a symbol of divine right and the rule of kings which is why Van Dyck\u2019s painting of\u00a0 Charles1 contains large yellow-gold petals.<\/p>\n
Who has read Samuel Richardson\u2019s book \u2018Pamela\u201d and remembers that\u00a0 Pamela and Mr Williams agree to communicate by putting letters under a sunflower in the garden?\u00a0 You can only admire the extent of Twig Way\u2019s research!\u00a0 Another gem is the fact that Mrs Beeton remarked that sunflowers are good for children\u2026\u2026 I couldn\u2019t find the reference myself\u00a0 but if Twigs mentions it then it must be true!<\/p>\n
In the late 19th century\u00a0 we were told that the Arts and Crafts movements, Impressionists and the Aesthetes almost simultaneously\u00a0 suddenly became in awe of the sunflower!\u00a0 Oscar Wilde adopted it as an emblem and stage prop.\u00a0 When touring America sunflower-shaped fans were available in case the audience became overheated!\u00a0 Let\u2019s not forget Monet\u2019s painting of gold flowers in a Japanese vase which probably reminded him of his garden at Vetheuil where they lined\u00a0 the path in blue and white ceramic pots and of course there are still sunflowers at Giverny.\u00a0 Monet\u2019s friend and fellow horticulturist and painter Cailebotte grew and painted sunflowers.\u00a0 Later Gustav Klimt produced several beautiful paintings of sunflowers in gardens.<\/p>\n
My r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is unashamedly based on Twig\u2019s remarkable lecture and beautiful\u00a0 visual representations.<\/p>\n
Mary Duff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cSunflowers?\u201d\u00a0 I hear you say, \u201cOh yes it was Van Gogh who painted all those paintings of sunflowers, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0 Well, yes, this is true but there is so much more to the story of the sunflower and our … Continue reading