Pinks 

Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s ‘Pinks’ is a watercolour that captures a dense arrangement of flowers in muted tones, set against a subtly textured backdrop. The composition is dominated by a cubic vase adorned with linear Art Deco motifs. Mackintosh skillfully uses a subdued palette, favouring pinks, whites, and greens to create a harmonious yet restrained visual experience. The flowers are rendered with soft, fluid brushstrokes, contrasting with the geometric precision of the vase. This contrast destabilizes conventional still life, challenging the traditional hierarchy between natural and artificial forms. The painting operates within a semiotic framework, where the flowers signify organic beauty, while the vase embodies structured, man-made design. Note the single fallen flower, placed outside the vase. This element disrupts the ordered arrangement, introducing a note of transience and decay, inflecting the work with a deeper meditation on time and existence.