Aesthetic Meditations
Tulips in every shade waiting to be arranged in the floral workshop. Photo Credit: Zoe Schaeffer
A Brief History of Floral Arrangement
From sacred adornment to the language of love and courtship, creative ritual to home decor, the practice and art of floral arrangement is timeless, rich and well-documented through history.
Today, we may feel inspired to splurge on a fresh bouquet from the farmer’s market and absentmindedly toss it into a bedside vase, only to watch it wilt and fade a few days later. This cycle repeats itself, perhaps week after week, and while the presence of fresh flora on your kitchen table may bring fleeting joy, it can fade into an empty, ornamental gesture.
An alternative perspective to consider: a life well-lived, and the act of crafting one, involves a certain element of slowness, intention and presence. If the slow food movement and craft revival of recent years have taught us anything, it’s the value - and beauty - of that which is imperfect, the handmade, and the mere act of doing something with love, joy and attention. Flower arrangement as either an artform or homely ritual can certainly appear indulgent or empty. But it doesn’t have to be...
Ikebana Inspired Arrangement. Photo by 五玄土 ORIENTO
An Homage To The Sacred
One thing agreed upon throughout the history of aesthetics is humanity’s undeniable attraction to fresh flowers and greenery. Indeed, the practiced art of arranging them together dates back to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, where floral and garland designs were created and utilized primarily for religious purposes. In the West, simple lines, order, and symmetry were used, placing an emphasis on visual repetition. Cut flowers adorned tombs, ornate wreaths featuring fresh foliage decorated halls and places of worship and tapered olive crowns indicated positions of honor or status.
Chinese floral arrangement dates back to 207 BCE (Han Period) and in similar vein to Western counterparts during these ancient times, floral design was an integral component to religious ceremony, medicine and spiritual learnings. Buddhists, Taoists and Confucist practitioners are all documented as having utilized cut flowers in altar arrangements with great care, consideration and attention to detail. Interestingly, Buddhist monks during this early period were very sparing and intentional with their floral offerings and arrangements, as Buddhist practice forbade the taking of life, or causing harm to any living thing.
“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. ”
Ancient Japanese floral design, called Ikebana, is thought to have first travelled with Buddhist monks high into the mountains of Japan around the 7th century. A key principle of this traditional practice is to bring nature indoors, and to to make it alive again through the process of arrangement. Embracing minimalism, time-honored symbolism and a deep appreciation for both process and aesthetics, Ikebana as an art form considers each individual arrangement as a living thing, wherein nature and humanity are brought together as one.
Many shops and studios around the world teach this ancient art form today, and Ikebana has regained popularity as both wabi-sabi and minimalist aesthetics have become mainstream in recent years. SF-based Utawa Floral Design is a nursery and flower shop sprawling with unique shapes, every shade of verdant green imaginable and full of the unexpected beauty, dynamism and quiet intentionality for which Ikebana arrangements are known. If you’re a West-coaster, or just visiting, this studio is well-worth a visit for a real taste of traditional Japanese floral design.
Flowers in a Metal Vase. Creator: Abraham Mignon. Date: 1670. PD
Life Imitating Art
From the Renaissance period onwards, floral arrangement became a more secular practice in Europe and the West. Flower arranging as the art form we know it today was not established until the Victorian era, and up until then, artists actually set the standard and aesthetic for floral design and style. Paintings featuring exaggerated, opulent fruit and flower baskets or vases were popularized as a display of wealth and class, and floral garland and verdant greenery became commonly used as lavish decoration in rejection of a higher function or spiritual purpose. This reflection of painting and dominant cultural aesthetic in floral design is indeed still alive and well today in the tiny Amsterdam shop, A.P Bloem. An ode to nature, history and the color palettes of the Dutch Masters, this hidden gem is a sprawling example of life imitating art in the best, and most glorious way possible, proving too, that the Netherlands are, and have always been, more than the mere land of tulips!
Fast-forward to the 20th century, and floristry was still very much influenced by art forms of the time. Jazz music, and the expressive colors, patterns and discordant, jarring visuals of modern art all produced botanical designs that were more free, texturally varied and dimensional than in previous decades and centuries. Life and art were becoming closer to one and the same, and indeed, would soon become inseparable in terms of modern floral arrangement and practice.
“I watch you arrange flowers & although you do not speak, it is as if you have a conversation with them.”
Modern DIY flower arrangement. Photo by: Ergita Sela
A Contemporary Creative Practice
As with other forms of expression, floral design is constantly evolving as cultural tastes, values and practices change over time. Today, we may choose to embrace the traditional Victorian language of flowers with a Valentine’s bouquet, take an Ikebana class, or DIY our way to a gorgeous Thanksgiving table with fresh greenery from the local flower mart. Contemporary shops like the ever-Instagrammable Champ Libre in Paris, or the wild, and unruly West Shop in San Francisco, are beginning to approach displays and arrangements in holistic, original ways, and integrate objects, plants, flowers and other oddities into a cohesive, thoughtful, global aesthetic.
A modern-day hybrid of eye-candy and spiritual nourishment, the art of floral arrangement today is as approachable as it’s ever been. And as for that bouquet you just grabbed from the farmer’s market? Just sit with it for a moment or two. Treasure each bloom. Mix in an herb sprig from your garden, a branch or two from your morning hike, or pop the whole thing into one of your child’s ceramic experiments! There are no rules. Approach this practice as an opportunity to slow down, embrace a few minutes of creativity, and quietly contemplate the exquisite and fleeting beauty in front of you.
Small rustic flower arrangements. Photo by David Holifield.
Resources:
A History of flower arrangement by Julia S. Berril. (1968)
https://blog.flowersacrossmelbourne.com.au/the-comprehensive-history-of-flower-arranging/