Week 14

Discussion

From a print by Ogata Kōrin (1658 – 1716). See discussion.

Poppies

Types of Poppies

There are many types of poppies; some quite memorable.

Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum)

Everyone knows about opium poppies (Papaver somniferum), a source of the eponymous narcotic. It has been used for thousands of years, and it is a source of morphine for regulated medicinal purposes. It is also known as breadseed poppy for its edible seeds, rich in oil, carbohydrates, calcium and protein. When harvested about about 20-days after the flower opens, the seeds no longer contain morphine. The growth of opium poppies is heavily regulated in most countries.

Common Red Field Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

The common red field poppy has become a symbol commemorating soldiers who died on the battle field.

It gained that association during World War I when it was one of the first flowers to reappear after the terrible battles of that war in the flower fields of Flanders. The popular poem, We Shall Keep the Faith, written in 1918 by Moina Michael, established the association.

We Shall Keep the Faith

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,

Sleep sweet - to rise anew!

We caught the torch you threw

And holding high, we keep the Faith

With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led;

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies,

But lends a lustre to the red

Of the flower that blooms above the dead

In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red

We wear in honor of our dead.

Fear not that ye have died for naught;

We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought

In Flanders Fields.

The red poppy or crape imitations of it is worn on men's lapels on Remembrance Day in British Commonwealth and some other countries. The holiday falls on November 11, Veterans Day in the US. The wearing of the red poppy is mainly a Commonwealth tradition, but it is sometimes done in the U.S., too.

Himalayan Blue Poppy (Meconopsis grandis)

One of the rarest of all poppies, the Himalayan blue poppy is the national flower of Bhutan. It has a variety of meanings, but it primarily symbolizes potential, possibilities, and psychic skills.

California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)

The California poppy is this state's official flower. It isn't illegal to pick the California poppy as long as it is on your own property or is on the property of someone who gives their permission.

There are times and places in which California poppies cover hillsides with bright golden color.

Poppies in Japan

There are several kinds of poppy in Japan. The Japanese name for one type is hinageshi. A similar but different poppy is called popii. My syllabus calls for this week's painting subject to be the Iceland poppy, but the Japanese name for it is popii, not hinageshi as written in the syllabus. Sorry for the confusion.

The photo below shows another type of poppy called a Japanese wood poppy (Glaucidium palmatum). Its Japanese name is shirane-aoi. It only grows in Hokkaidō, the northern-most part of Japan.

In Japan's language of the flowers (hanakotoba), a red poppy means "fun-loving", a white poppy means "rejoice", and a yellow poppy means "success".

Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule)

This week's painting subject is the Iceland poppy (popii). An alternate Japanese name for it is shiberia-hinageshi (Siberian poppy) based on where it originated. Some sources use Icelandic poppy for the name, but this is misleading. There are no Iceland poppies in Iceland. The name, Iceland poppy, actually refers to the sub-arctic environment that the flower prefers.

As can be seen, the poppies come in a variety of colors. They yield large, papery, bowl-shaped, slightly fragrant flowers atop hairy, curved stems about a foot tall. Individual flowers last a few days, but the plants can yield a continuing supply of blossoms for several months.

The Iceland poppy has a cluster of leaves close to the ground.

The blossoms grow at the top of vertical, hairy, leafless stalks.

Stalks with buds initially curve downward.

As can be seen, however, by the time that the blossom is fully open, the stalk is pointing upward to the sky.

Look closely at the center of the blossom. The small yellow-green object there is the beginning of the Iceland poppy fruit. Here is a closer look.

By the time that the petals fall away, the fruit is mostly mature and still pointing upward.

The fruit is loaded with small seeds.

Artwork

Ogata Kōrin (1658 – 1716)

Kōrin was one of the founders of the Rinpa school of art. Its name is partly derived from Kōrin's name. The following two pictures are reproductions of Kōrin's artwork done in 1931. I have been unable to learn when the original artwork was done. The first image is a print of poppies.

This next reproduction is from an maki-e (lacquered picture) on the lid of a suzuri-bako (writing utensil box).

Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849)

Renowned worldwide for his landscape ukiyo-e, Hokusai did many other print subjects and regular paintings, too. The dynamic kachō-ga (birds and flowers pictures) print below of poppies blowing in the wind was produced in the 1833 to 1834 timeframe.

Utagawa Kunisada (1786 – 1865)

Kunisada was primarily known for his ukiyo-e bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful people), but a secondary subject of his was kabuki prints. The print below is from his series, Selection of Ten Flowers Currently in Full Bloom. Printed in 1858, it depicts actors with poppies in the background.

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797 – 1858)

Hiroshige was Japan's greatest landscape artist after Hokusai. While Hokusai painted in many media other than hanga (woodblock prints), Hiroshige mostly stayed with that media. He, too, did kachō-ga like this swallows and poppy print from probably the 1830s.

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