Culture And Society Shaping Flowers In Nature
Gentlemen of the world take note to this page. There is wisdom and knowledge from ages past that you have been missing. Flower art and its meaning is powerful and deep reaching back to all cultivated culture. Flowers in nature have have always been beautiful. Few realize the impact on culture and society ranging from Shakespeare to Greek Mythology, and yes even your special lady.
This art is not isolated to any specific medium. It could be a simple arrangement of flowers by a florist or a painting by a traditional artist. It could also be a flower that is wood carved as free standing art. The importance behind this art is its meaning or rather the message you send to the one it is given to. To understand this we must delve first into the background of the flower and its meaning.
Flower Background
Ladies, if you lived in the Victorian Era and a gentlemen gave you a rose there would be a message that came with this flower. It would not be written on a card to be read. Rather its meaning was within the rose itself. The meaning of the rose is for true love, passion, and devotion. Instead of saying yes or no to the man you would return a flower in exchange. A yellow carnation would symbolize disdain, rejection, or disappointment. Here the gentlemen would be crushed.
The meaning of a flower went beyond the kind and color. How a flower was presented to someone held meaning as well. Florists would appreciate this bit of history. How an arrangement was made spoke to meaning and purpose as well as the flowers included in the arrangement.
A single rose given to a lady could be returned to the gentleman, but upside down. In the Victorian era it would be heartbreaking and far more devastating than the yellow carnation. In contrast it could be kept long enough and returned as a dying flower.
Flower history holds a depth in art symbolism that our culture has forgotten in the West. Within each culture you will find meanings for not only the species but also the various colors of each variation of the flower. Their use was not merely for beauty. They could also secretly communicate messages that one wished to remain hidden.
There is not a culture which has existed on the planet where flowers have not been used in these ways. Ranging from ancient China to the Aztecs these meanings can be found and documented. While the meaning can vary from culture to culture its use remains the same.
Within China the Cherry Blossom represented feminine beauty while in Japan it would represent transience of life and kindness. In other cultures of history the Lime Blossom has represented fornication and the flowers of the herb Coriander spoke to lust. For some the purple Lilac held the meaning of first love while the white Lily spoke to purity.
The choice of flower was not limited to the flowers that we commonly use today in arrangements. Flowers from herbs or weeds also could hold meaning. Often what we call weeds today were medicinal herbs in older times and could be associated with healing mentally and emotionally in addition to the physical benefits. In our world today it is much like wishing someone to get well if they become ill.
If this knowledge was brought back to todays world it would be possible for a man to send an unwritten letter to the one he loves by simply using flowers. In the ages of history for the romantics of that age this was often how things were done. Planting a garden of flowers was more than a mere decoration but rather to attract those things into your life that you desired. These were more simple times but they held greater depths than that of our modern world.
Language of Flowers
There is no doubt that the flower holds its own unique language which has almost been lost to time. Roses on Valentines Day is about as deep as our meaning today will go or at the very least selecting the favorite flower of that special someone. Floral work is more about creating pretty arrangements but often do not know the meaning behind what the arrangement would say in older times.
In reality flower art is more than merely an artist depiction on canvass. It is an art of language, meaning, intent, and culture. It holds with it the power to not only love but also to express disdain and could begin a war. It could bring healing medicinally and emotionally but also death and be a symbol of depression.
Men often wonder at the importance of the flower and its effect upon women. Never underestimate the flower or its meaning. Though the woman may not fully know its history or individual meaning there is ingrained into the natural woman an understanding. It speaks of things reaching back to a deeper emotional understanding and desire.
While this desire may be focused on beauty and the thoughts behind the gift it is also within the intended meaning of what is being given. It is the foundation upon which all the definitions of the flower have been built within history. It is this power no man should underrate or underestimate. Its translation into art is just as deep and its impact has been traced across generations and cultures of the world since the beginning of time.
Flower Meaning In Art
As curators or the experts in art look to the great works of history often subtle nuances can be missed in terms of meaning or definition. Often the artists of the time would incorporate flowers into their works in order to convey a meaning or intent. Yet while this would be common knowledge of that time, today this meaning can be missed or lost to history.
Within artwork it is more than the species or the color of the flower. Its placement and orientation is just as important. A drooping red rose could speak to a love that is fading or dieing. Perhaps the individual who possesses the rose has not been cared for. A broken stem can be seen as a broken promise to the meaning of what the flower was to bring.
How prominent the placement of the flower or arrangement within the artwork is would play a role to the scene. If it was a focal point within the work it would hold greater meaning to what was portrayed. If within the background it may be speaking to an event of the past which began a path that is unfolding at the present.
People of older times certainly were not all botanists yet they did associate deep meaning with flowers within their culture. This meaning was not isolated to visual arts such as painting or wood carvings and sculptures. It was also carried into the written form of the arts and can be found within the great works of history.
Shakespeare was known for his use of flowers within his works. Likewise the Greeks also would use them to convey meaning beyond the written text where the reader would associate this implied meaning for their time. One does not have to be a great romantic in order to know or use this knowledge. This meaning would often speak to the depth of the culture within the period of which the people lived.
Art in its many forms give us a representation to the culture of the period. It is from here we can see how prominent the use of the flower was in history. Its impact can be seen in architecture and is not limited to the visual or written worlds but also can be found in songs and folklore. As we move from the Victorian Era forward into a more industrialized world we begin to see less impact upon culture. Flowers begin to have a more general purpose in simple beauty for decor and landscape.
While our modern world may offer more in terms of breadth of things and information it has also caused us to lose depth. Meaning and attention spans have shortened to accept a mere sound byte and real beauty is not appreciated with the bombardment of never ending media. Despite this issue as a culture today we can still individually look back across time to bring these deeper meanings back into our lives. It is a worthwhile experience to aid us in this chaotic world.
Through the dark periods of history people held to deep meanings to help them through difficult times. Society today is more anxious and fearful than any of recent history. There is no doubt that we should take a page from history to incorporate those natural art elements back into our life. Nature wall art is an easy implementation just as a simple flower garden.
Flower Wood Art
An interesting aspect of flower art can be found in wood. I once came across an artist that had an unnatural gift. I use the word unnatural in a good way of amazement. I have never seen another wood artist that could compare to his skill. His preferred work was flower wood art. Truly he could carve flowers then paint them and they appear real to life.
Normally when it comes to wood art I am against any kind of painting unless it is absolutely necessary for purposes in definition or clarity of the work. When I first saw this mans flower wood art I was beyond stunned. The skill it required to carve such fine objects took more patience and skill than I will ever acquire in my lifetime. It is unfortunate that his work was not as highly valued as it should have been.
Typically within wood art you will find flowers either engraved in a 2d format or as relief work as 2.5d art. What you see is often more of a flower outline. The problem with this kind of art is the loss of definition in the flower. So much depends on gaining the depth and color from a three dimensional aspect. They do not naturally translate into wood art in any 2d variation very well thus resulting in a flower outline.
What can be common for 2 dimensional wood art and also in decor is the use of a flower border in wall art. It will surround art that is to be the focal point. Its purpose is to attract beauty to this focal point. The flower border is something that I have used on art boxes and it requires little definition in order to add beauty to the focal point of the artwork.
In terms of a 3d wood carving the flower excels here. You can find this often in architecture or more traditional molding within older historical homes. It can also be found incorporated into wood features such as columns or railing. Unfortunately the most beautiful pieces in existence today are often only found within history and little is done by modern wood artists today.
There are exceptions to this rule yet wood art itself has gone through several periods of transformation. Today there are more makers that produce items of function calling it art rather than real artwork itself. Nevertheless the real artists are still out there and will continue to persist. I do have hope that these skills and the beauty they provide will not be completely lost to history alone.
Flowers In Traditional Art
Today it is far more common to see flowers within traditional art. Flower paintings and flower drawings are the two most common arts that you will find them in. Since a flower is a natural aesthetic element which provides beauty its purpose for this alone will allow it to survive within art. This will never change.
Traditional art though as suffered in much the same way that wood art has. Unfortunately painting and drawing has seen a surge of mass produced items for home decor through prints or other small items. The path of the artist within our modern world has taken a turn towards being seen as a maker rather than for artwork.
Despite the difficulties that our modern world has brought with it for artists of our time the traditional arts will also persist and move forward. The depth of meaning behind the flower may not be the same as in the Victorian era. Nevertheless its beauty will not allow it to be excluded from art. Perhaps at some point in the future there will be traditional artists that begin to once again convey the same meaning into their works as those artists of history.