Spring Flowers 

Lawrence Alma-Tadema painted this portrait, Spring Flowers, with oil paint on canvas, a traditional pairing. The painting shows us a woman holding a vase filled with yellow flowers. You can see the artist's attention to detail in the texture of her long, flowing hair, contrasted against the smooth, cool ceramic vase. Tadema was known for depicting scenes from antiquity, and for his amazing ability to render materials. What may at first seem to be a simple scene of a young woman is laden with the material culture of the late 19th century. In this painting, the artist shows his mastery of painting on canvas. He knew exactly how to capture all the details he wanted to express through his chosen medium. Although these days we may think of paintings like this as "fine art", it’s important to recognize that it depended on a great deal of skill, time and labor. Without these factors, this image wouldn't exist.