Still Life with Bouquet of Flowers 

Jan Brueghel the Elder made this still life painting with oil paints. Oil paint’s workability allowed Brueghel to create a complex composition with meticulous detail, showcasing his incredible technical skill. The way the materials are handled in this painting contributes to its aesthetic and social significance. The variety of flowers that Brueghel depicts here would have bloomed at different times of the year and come from different places. They are brought together here to demonstrate a wealthy patron's access to rare and exotic goods. The dark background that Brueghel uses would also have contributed to the preciousness of the painting because of the expense of the pigment. In this way, Brueghel challenges traditional hierarchies between art and craft and connects the painting to wider social issues of labor and consumption. By considering the materials and the making process, we gain a deeper understanding of the artwork.