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You’re about to enter an art gallery of plants.
It contains a few of the world’s most famous paintings of plants. You’ll also see plants themselves as artworks.
Famous Plant Paintings
Water Lilies
by Claude Monet
Sunflowers in a Vase
by Vincent van Gogh
◀ Ikebana, or Japanese flower arranging, began about 1,400 years ago. Today there are many styles of ikebana. Rikka, a traditional style, requires nine flower stems or parts of stems. They have to be arranged in specific lengths, angles, and directions. Freestyle ikebana leaves everything up to the arranger. That includes what to express and how. Even paper, plastics, or metal can be used in the arrangement.
Bonsai is the art of growing tiny trees. This is done by carefully trimming the roots and stems. Bonsai is a Japanese word that means “tray-planted.” The little trees range in size from two inches to three feet. The art form started in China over 1,000 years ago. The trees’ twisting trunks gave rise to myths and legends about animals, dragons, and birds. In the twelfth century, bonsai reached Japan. There, it came to represent the harmony between people, the soul, and nature. ▶
Jimmy Gaeta is a floral designer and sculptor. He uses flowers to create art. “Flowers are my palette,” he says. “Just as oils or watercolors are a painter’s palette. When I make an arrangement, I respond to the color, shape, and texture of each bloom as well as to the environment the arrangement is meant for.” ▶
