Poppies: A Favored Subject

Poppy Field    Jim Plesh   acrylic on masonite  48"x48"
private collection

Poppies have long been one of my favorite subjects for paintings. 

The symbolism associated with poppies is beauty, magic, consolation, fertility and eternal life. The Egyptians included poppies at funerals and in burial tombs. The Greeks used poppies in the shrines of Demeter, goddess of fertility, and Diana, goddess of the hunt. Poppies have long been used as a symbol of both sleep and death: sleep because of the opium extracted from them, and death because of the blood-red color they commonly display. A second interpretation of poppies in classical mythology is that the bright scarlet color signifies a promise of resurrection after death. In modern times, poppies have been associated with Flanders Fields, where they serve as an emblem of those who died in World War I.

A poppy is one of a group of flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorfulness. Poppy flowers have four to six petals. Petals may be almost any color, and some have markings. Before blooming, the petals are crumpled in the bud, and as blooming finishes, the petals often lie flat before falling away. A whorl of stamens is in the center of the flower. All species of poppies are attractive, and most are cultivated as ornamental plants. A few species have other uses, principally as sources of drugs and foods. 

Part of my infatuation with poppies as a subject is their simplicity of beauty - crisp, clean and colorful, creating immediate and graphic recognition. While the poppy flower may have four to six petals, a simple splash of red or yellow with a spot of black is quickly recognized as the impression of a poppy. Such a beautiful and recognizable subject allows me to put the music on, take canvas, paints, brush and palette knife and create with spontaneous freedom. Whether a single poppy or a field of poppies, the creativity flows freely, allowing me to avoid unnecessary detail and definition; I can go beyond that, directly into the feeling, essence, simplicity and beauty of the subject, or model, if you will. The resulting work beckons the viewer’s interpretation beyond the recognizable obvious.