...while the italian baroque movement was all about showcasing the catholic church's might and power, baroque art in northern europe was quite different (there's that contrast between cultures and continents again!). subjects in northern art during this period ran the gamut from depicting everyday homelife scenes, to vanitas filled with still-life arrangements, to the subject of our own featured artwork: the depiction of flower arrangements.

...flower paintings were popular images among northern europeans as it appealed both to their taste in the beauties of nature, as well remind them of the fleeting quality of life (flowers will die no matter how much aspirin or fertilizer you feed them, ya know). remember when i said that northern europeans practiced a very stringent view in their religious beliefs? well, flower painting can definitely be seen as a subject that resulted from the northern european's obsession with the imminence of death.

...cultural implications aside, this baroque flower painting shows how the northern artists continue to place high importance on detail and finish and the use of very delineated lighting. not only does mister bosschaert accurately portray the reflection of light on the glass flower vase, he also manages to convincingly paint the different color striations on the flower petals. this painting may not be that famous image of one simple dutch girl, but its attention to detail, realistic rendering, and vanitas subject matter make it an equally strong representative of northern european art during the baroque period.