Even though Roesen painted this still life in a realistic style, the flowers in this painting bloomed at different times of the year making it impossible for him to assemble these flowers together at one time. Roesen used a variety of colors against a dark surface, which gives more power and brightness to the colors. This painting can be seen at the MFAH.

Severin Roesen – German-American 1815-1872

Victorian Bouquet 1850-1855 (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston)

Vincent van Gogh – Dutch 1853-1890

Still Life with Twelve Sunflowers 1887

Van Gogh used bold colors and used an impasto technique where he applied thick layers of paint to the canvas. Van Gogh suffered various physical and mental conditions and was admitted to a hospital after he cut off part of his ear in a fit of anger. In a short period of ten years, Van Gogh made approximately 900 paintings, yet he only sold one painting in his lifetime. He became famous after his death.

. Pablo Picasso-Spanish 1881-1973

Enamel Saucepan 1945

Pablo Picasso painted Enamel Saucepan in a style known as cubism. He used geometric shapes and showed an object or person from several angles at once. This painting is considered abstract because it is not supposed to look real. Though Spanish by birth, he lived most of his life in France.

. Renee Magritte 1898-1967Les Valeurs Personnelles (Personal Values) 1952

Magritte painted in a style called surrealism where ordinary objects appear out of place and out of proportion. In Les Valeurs Personnelles he painted oversized objects in a bedroom. In the 1960’s many of his works were reproduced on album covers of famous musicians.

Carolyn Brady – 1937-

Delphiniums and Roses on Glass –1985

Brady is considered a photorealist because the finished work looks like a photograph and photos are used to gather information for the painting. Light is important in Brady’s watercolor paintings, but she never uses white paint. She uses watercolor washes to achieve the effects of light.