“Summertime is always the best of what might be” – Charles Bowden
You’ve shed a few layers of clothing, rolled up your trouser legs and your skin is turning redder by the minute. Summer has arrived, and it’s glorious. As warm sunlight gives the world a beautiful glow and crowds flock to the beach, we bring you a curated selection of famous paintings that capture the essence of the season.
Nothing sums up summer like sand between your toes. Many famous artists have captured the sunny theme of a trip to the beach.
Sea Watchers, 1952 (oil on canvas), Edward Hopper (1882-1967) / Private Collection / Photo © Lefevre Fine Art Ltd., London
Strolling along the Seashore, 1909 (oil on canvas), Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923) / Museo Sorolla, Madrid, Spain
Beach scene: little girl having her hair combed by her nanny, c.1876-77 (oil on paper), Edgar Degas (1834-1917) / National Gallery, London, UK
Boats in the Harbour at Collioure, 1905 (oil on canvas), Andre Derain (1880-1954) / Private Collection
Paintings showing gardens in full bloom and fields under bright blue skies perfectly reflect the summer landscape. Looking at these colourful pictures you can nearly smell the thick, sweet scent of summer flowers and grass.
Rounded Flower Bed (Corbeille de fleurs), 1876 (oil on canvas), Claude Monet (1840-1926) / Detroit Institute of Arts, USA
The Artist’s Garden at Vetheuil, 1880 (oil on canvas), Claude Monet (1840-1926) / National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA
The Swing (Les Hasards heureux de L’Escarpolette), 1767 (oil on canvas), Jean-Honore Fragonard (1732-1806) / Wallace Collection, London, UK
Apple Tree I, 1912 (oil on canvas), Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) / Private Collection / Photo © Christie’s Images
“Picnic” basically means “summer afternoon”.
Kensington Gardens (oil on canvas), Therese Lessore (1884-1945) / Calderdale Museums Service, West Yorkshire, UK
Dejeuner sur l’Herbe, 1863 (oil on canvas) (see also 65761), Edouard Manet (1832-83) / Musee d’Orsay, Paris, France
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884-86 (oil on canvas) , Georges Pierre Seurat (1859-91) / The Art Institute of Chicago, IL, USA / Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection
Florence from near San Miniato, 1828, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) / British Museum, London, UK
Taking place at the very end of the summer, the harvest has inspired many artists throughout the ages to create idyllic country scenes.
The Harvester (oil on canvas), Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) / Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany
Haymaking, possibly the months of June and July, 1565 (oil on panel), Pieter Brueghel the Elder (c.1525-69) / Lobkowicz Palace, Prague Castle, Czech Republic
Grainstacks at the end of the Summer, Morning effect, 1891 (oil on canvas), Claude Monet (1840-1926) / Musee d’Orsay, Paris, France
Summer, 1573 (oil on canvas), Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-93) / Louvre, Paris, Franc
The Ancient Greek goddess of agriculture, harvest and fertility, Demeter (Roman name Ceres), often makes an appearance in summer scenes and allegories. In many paintings the goddess embodies the season, or the fruitful “abundance” associated with summer.
Statue of Ceres, c.1615 (oil on panel), Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) / State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Triumph of Ceres and Sign of Virgin with three deans, scene from Month of August, attributed to Cosimo Tura (circa 1430-1495) and Master of Ercole, fresco, north wall, Hall of Months, Palazzo Schifanoia (Palace of Joy), Ferrara, Italy, circa 1470 / De Agostini Picture Library / A. De Gregorio
Allegory of Abundance (oil on panel), Jan Brueghel the Younger (1601-78) & Ambrosius II Francken (c.1590-1632) / Private Collection / © Lawrence Steigrad Fine Arts, New York
Allegory of Summer, c.1792 (oil on canvas), Mariano Salvador de Maella (1739-1819) / Prado, Madrid, Spain / Photo © AISA
The summer months are peak time for sunflowers, and our selection of summer images wouldn’t be complete without these big, bright blooms.
Van Gogh painting Sunflowers, 1888 (oil on canvas), Gauguin, Paul (1848-1903) / Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Sunflowers, 1888 (oil on canvas), Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) / Neue Pinakothek, Munich, Germany
Girl with Sunflowers, 1941 (oil on masonite), Diego Rivera (1886-1957) / Private Collection / Photo © Christie’s Images
Finally, when we think of summer our mind also turns to the tropics… the bright colours of tropical destinations have long served as an inspiration for many renowned artists.
Small palm, 1995 (acrylic on canvas), Lincoln Seligman / Private Collection
Women of Tahiti, On the Beach, 1891 (oil on canvas), Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) / Musee d’Orsay, Paris, France
Monkeys in the Jungle, 1910 (oil on canvas), Henri J.F. Rousseau (Le Douanier) (1844-1910) / Private Collection
Sunset over the Atlas Mountains, c. 1935 (oil on canvas), Winston Churchill (1874-1965) / Private Collection / Photo © Christie’s Images
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Still craving more Summer? Check out our Summer 2018 lightbox for more inspiration!
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