David Hockney 27th February 2021, Tall Flowers in a Vase For Sale

27^th February 2021, Tall Flowers in a Tall Vase is one of the most dramatic still life with flowers of the series, 20 Flowers and Some Bigger Pictures. The wild bunch of flowers take up most of the composition: they are comprised of different buds, scattered in arrangement and flowing from the transparent tall vase.

The red gingham tablecloth is created with red dots and splodges instead of bold stripes and a subtle shadow looms over the gingham table cover. The transparent blue vase is half filled with water from which we can see the green stems of the flowers: the arrangement resembles a handpicked bouquet full of green myrtle leaves, tree fern and even some green eucalyptus. A few bright red and paler coloured flower buds are sprinkled into the arrangement for vibrant effect.

Hockney takes a traditional depiction of still life with flowers yet distorts the viewers perspective with a wild, free and foraged floral bunch sitting at the centre of his composition. These flowers are not just simple, aesthetic pleasures but are imbued with their own emotion and expression.