March Flowers

In this painting, Subbi adopted, probably unconsciously, the 1930s’ and 1940s’ still-life tradition. While in Subbi’s earlier still-lifes, the flowers were often stylised and depicted not because of their details but for a colour effect, in this painting the artist enthusiastically delved into the nuances and highlighted the optimistic abundance of the bouquet. The details in the background of this work of art do not stand out and the painting lacks Subbi’s usual colour experiments. This only serves to emphasise the bouquet of flowers, making it not just the main focal point, but the only focal point in the painting. As the title of the artwork alludes to the month of March, in which Olev Subbi was born, we can assume that this painting is also a kind of self-portrait, for the artist painted flowers which he had received for his 80th birthday. Thus, the artist depicted a fascinating dialogue between the ageing of a man and the relentless vitality of nature.