Édouard Manet (French,
1832–1883), Flowers in a Crystal
Vase, ca. 1882. Oil
on canvas, 127⁄8 × 95⁄8 in. (32.7 × 24.5 cm). National
Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection,1970.17.37.
In Bloom: Painting
Flowers in the Age of Impressionism
Molly Medakovich, Ph.D., Department of Learning & Engagement, Denver Art Museum
A seemingly simple and often overlooked subject
in the history of art, the flower was a significant source of inspiration to
French artists of the 1700s and 1800s. We'll explore the trajectory of
styles and approaches to flower painting across time, from the
exacting eye of artists who painted in the detailed tradition of
botanical illustration, to the expressive experiments in color and paint
by the Impressionists. Discover personal stories, creative experiments and
interesting anecdotes of artists who embraced this sensory subject during the
early modern period.
Molly Medakovich is a museum educator
and art historian. She works in the Learning & Engagement Department at the
Denver Art Museum, serving on exhibition teams, experimenting with programs and
hands-on activities in permanent collection galleries, and training docents to
create engaging experiences for the variety of visitors who walk through the
museum’s doors. She has a Ph.D. in 18th- and 19th-century
art history and, in addition to her work at the DAM, teaches colleges art
history classes at the University of Denver and the University of Colorado
at Colorado Springs.