Garden Bouquet (Gartenstrauss) c. 20th century

Johanna Metzner pulled this print of a Garden Bouquet sometime in the early 20th century. It's all laid down with this very casual, I almost want to say, impatient approach. You can see the marks, you can feel the hand. The colours are pretty straightforward, but the combination has a little kick. Look at the vase, it's a dark, rich blue. It feels heavy, like the weight of the earth. And the flowers erupt out of it in a riot of colour. I like how she’s placed these bright red circles among the blooms. They seem to hover, not quite part of the bouquet, but definitely adding to the overall feeling of abundance and joy. You know, it makes me think a little bit of Emil Nolde, who was doing some incredible flower paintings around the same time, exploring colour in a similar way. What's so cool about art is that nothing is ever really resolved. Instead there's this amazing, ongoing conversation.