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Ancient Art's theme for 2024 is an exploration of "Flowers in Artwork," blending the timeless beauty of flowers with the expressive power of art. Flowers have been more than just subjects on a canvas; they've been storytellers, capturing the essence of cultural traditions, styles and emotions. They represent life's fleeting beauty and have been a source of inspiration and joy for artists and admirers alike.
Some ideas before we get into the details on what to make with this yarn...
Window into Winter - a lovely crocheted shawl
Sassles - a fun knitted shawl in two colors by NellKnits
May's colorway is inspired by Haverman's A Vase of Flowers
Here is what Ancient Arts shared on this month's colorway:
Margareta Haverman enjoyed a thriving career as an artist at a time when women were typically not permitted to take part in painting or any other form of artistic expression in the Netherlands or any other part of Europe. She was an artist who devoted much of her life to painting works that focused on flowers. Born and raised in the Netherlands, she studied with the notoriously secretive flower painter Jan van Huysum and later gained admission to the French Royal Academy in Paris.
This 1716 oil painting features a sprawling and vibrant bouquet of flowers that range from carnations and roses, as well as fruit. If you look very closely, you can even see a house fly and a snail! Haverman brilliantly portrayed the bouquet and vase as having been surrounded by darkness with light pouring in from the left side of the canvas. This splendid artwork truly showcases the artist's mastery and her use of trailblazing pigments like Prussian Blue. Over years, the natural yellow lake pigment used in the leaves has gradually lost its vibrancy, making them appear to have a blue hue.
Prior to an exhibition in 2020, the painting was restored by removing a layer of varnish and a wax coating, to reveal the delicate pastel colours of the roses. There's a fascinating article about the 2018 restoration of this paintinghere, along with pictures of the painting before and after restoration. There are also close-ups of the painting to give you a better appreciation of the exquisite details.
This painting is one of only two of Haverman's works that are known to have survived, as they are the only ones were ever signed by the artist in her career. Haverman’s confident signature appears on the lower right, placed as though incised in the plinth supporting the bouquet.
