Anemone coronaria (fransk anemone) 1635 - 1664

Editor: Here we have "Anemone coronaria (fransk anemone)," a watercolor, gouache, and drawing from between 1635 and 1664, by Hans Simon Holtzbecker. It feels so simple and clean, but the colours are so vivid. What strikes you most about this work? Curator: Well, immediately the symbolism of flowers comes to mind. Anemones, particularly red ones, have long been associated with mourning and remembrance, stemming from Greek mythology – the tears of Aphrodite, if you remember the tale. But notice the colour palette here. Holtzbecker chose three. Are they variations or symbols of specific events or people, can we wonder? Editor: Remembrance? I hadn't picked that up, it seemed more celebratory, maybe springtime. Curator: Perhaps Holtzbecker layered intentions. What happens when you juxtapose celebration of spring with an undertone of memory? Look at the careful, almost scientific rendering. Do you get a sense that this might be a botanical record and something more, something imbued with a human element of memory, mourning, and myth? Editor: I see that now! The precision does suggest a botanical record, but the choice of colors, like the deep reds, certainly shift the mood. It is beautiful but a little sad now that you mention it. Curator: And how does that impact your perception? Seeing those possible hidden, or perhaps less obvious, layers? Editor: It definitely adds depth. I came in thinking it was just a pretty picture of flowers, but now it's a thoughtful meditation on memory. Curator: Exactly! A visual record, yes, but also a coded communication about human emotion that can resonate through centuries. I will carry the artist's contemplation with me.