Six Red Flowers, October 28, 1999 1999

“Six Red Flowers, October 28, 1999” was made by Donald Sultan at the close of the 20th century. Sultan is celebrated for his innovative approach to still life, a genre traditionally laden with the symbolism of domesticity and the feminine sphere. Here, the flowers—rendered in a bold, industrial style—disrupt expectations. Their stark redness is devoid of the nuanced, emotional, and romantic associations typical of floral art. These flowers are frontal, almost confrontational, and there is a sense of scale that makes the viewer feel they are towering over the floral arrangement. The white dots at the center of each flower act as focal points, creating a structured, almost mechanistic composition. Sultan has said that he tries to find a balance between suggestion and information in his pieces. “Six Red Flowers” presents a tension between beauty and an almost brutal simplicity. It challenges us to reconsider how we perceive beauty in the everyday, and how we assign meaning to the images that surround us.