I Picked You A Flower is a group exhibition I participated in at the beginning of 2020. Refer to my December 19th post for details. Inspired by the theme of the exhibition and my love of plants and color, I focused on the tradition of using flowers to communicate, and the specific meanings attributed to them. These images with Yellow Chrysanthemums were inspired by the three sources below. Out of the whole series, these are the hardest images to share and feel the most raw and vulnerable.
“Slighted love, . . . . . Chrysanthemum, yellow.”
Wirt, Elizabeth Washington. Flora’s Dictionary. F. Lucas, 1832.
“What seemed to be a promising courtship finished on a second date, when the young Englishman presented the Ukrainian girl with eight yellow chrysanthemums. What he didn’t know was that an even number of flowers (often chrysanthemums or lilies) is for funerals only, and that yellow is the color of farewell. The girl saw the flowers as a sign that the new relationship was over”
Shevchenko, Anna. Ukraine - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture. Kuperard, 2012.
“Flowers are often used as a symbol of femininity. John Steinbeck's short story "The Chrysanthemums" centers around the yellow florets, which are often associated with optimism and lost love. When the protagonist, Elisa, finds her beloved chrysanthemums tossed on the ground, her hobby and womanhood have been ruined; this suffices the themes of lost appreciation and femininity in Steinbeck's work.”
Wikipedia contributors. (2020, January 17). Language of flowers. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19:20, Jan 28, 2020