Alex Katz: Flowers

Alex Katz is one of the most recognizable and celebrated modern American artists. Emerging in the mid-1950s, his bold and flattening colors, defined contours and simplistic details are signature trademarks of his art. Though Katz's art coincided with the Abstract Expressionist movement, his body of work was a clear rejection of the artistic style. Through his portraits he creates his iconic stills depicting family, friends, artists, dancers and members of New-York society. 

Equally famous are Katz's landscape paintings, in which he paints peaceful landscapes and flower paintings. Creating his first flower paintings between 1966 and 1967, he wanted to achieve a sense of movement he felt his other group portraits, such as Lawn Party (1965) didn't capture. These large scale artworks feature beautiful lilies, roses and tulips. In the pieces, Katz takes inspiration from the idyllic countryside of Maine he painted in for several months each year since the beginning of his career. Like with his portraits, the flowers, which are either painted individually or in clusters, are contrasted with flat blankets of unbroken swathes of color. Their scale and cohesive color palettes command the attention and focus of the viewer, whilst simultaneously maintaining a captivating element of mystery and elusivity.