Hydrangeas on a Garden Path

This beautiful scene, created by the famous Catalan painter Santiago Rusiñol, features a path lined with pink hydrangeas, nestled within a lush, green canopy, located in Parc Badés, Arbúcies—a picturesque town roughly 50 kilometers northeast of Barcelona. The Casa Badés gardens caught Rusiñol's imagination, inspiring at least 15 of his artworks painted from 1927 to 1929. Rusiñol's obsession with gardens was unparalleled among his peers. The artist took a trip to Granada in 1898, which became a turning point for him. Gardens offered him solace from his personal sorrows and dependencies, serving both as a metaphor for his solitude and as a commentary on the defeat of Spain in the Spanish-American War of 1898.

You know how it can be with art—either we look at a simple garden scene full of beautiful flowers, or it could be an important metaphorical place for the artist, or for us. Art is something that can be perceived both intellectually and emotionally; we talk about it in our free course, How to Look at Art, which is available if you feel intimidated or lost in front of a piece of art. 

P.S. Santiago Rusiñol was a master of capturing a peaceful and sometimes mysterious atmosphere of gardens. Discover the beautiful gardens of Santiago Rusiñol! For more Catalan art, see the articles below.