a curious case
one thing that i have foundinteresting and curious
is that while nasturtiums seem to befairly ubiquitous in art nouveau,
they don't seem to exist at all injapan.
this is the only case of this i've foundso far.
(voysey is the first one, then G. Lebart, then oscar droege, and lastly, walter j. phillips.i don't know who did the seed packet!)
(added on 1.9.2010: i have no idea what i was talking about! it seems to be saying that here was the only japanese example i could find, but there's no japanese example, and i still can't find one!)
Labels: G. Lebart, Maurice Verneuil, oscar droege, walter j phillips
posted by lotusgreen at 11:22 AM
2 Comments:
True, but they came into their own in the Art Deco period, Ethel Stephens,T.T. Blaylock and of course Hall Thorpe who created a stunning woodblock around 1922, entitled "Nasturtiums". I think that they were a particularly English flower, and they matched the aesthetics of the time, especially the vivid reds and oranges and the quasi-symmetrical leaves, have a very "nouveau-ish/deco-ish" feeling. When I see nasturtiums I immediately think of Clarice Cliff pottery, just for the bravado of colour. I lived in Japan for a decade, and I don't ever recall seeing nasturtiums in either kimono/yukata design or even in gardens, but in England, Australia, NZ, USA and Canada, they are very common. I would say the Morning Glory is the Japanese equivalent of the nasturtium.
isn't it funny how one's perspective colors what one sees. see, to me, the nasturtium perfectly suits art nouveau!, the most iconic example being the voysey, at the to, which is actually by verneuil, i now realize. i think i knew that....
only with richer colors.
now hall thorpe. i don't recall if i've seen that one of his, but in general, while i really like his landscapes, i just don't get the appeal of his still-lifes!
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