Bloemenstudie van Papavers en Rhododendrons 1872 - 1950

Barbara Elisabeth van Houten made this watercolour painting, Bloemenstudie van Papavers en Rhododendrons, or Floral Study of Poppies and Rhododendrons, most likely in her studio. Just look at the paper, the translucent washes, the rapid marks of the brush. I imagine van Houten outside, grabbing a bunch of flowers and then rushing home to capture their likeness. What do you think she was thinking when she made this? How to make the reds sing against that brown background? How to catch the light as it runs through the leaves? The stems of those poppies are like graphic lines that move across the whole painting, linking everything. There’s a conversation going on between the flowers and the leaves. The composition reminds me of Emil Nolde’s flower paintings, but with a softer touch. Artists are always looking at each other's work, you know, cross-pollinating ideas across time. Van Houten’s painting shows us how art isn't just about what we see, but how we feel and imagine.