Maria Marta Morelli, a Buenos Aires-based artist, creates exuberant flower still-life paintings that are rich in symbolism and meaning. Her work is inspired by the cycle of time and the beauty of nature, capturing the essence of flowers in various stages of life. Morelli’s paintings often feature strong contrasts between light and shadow, drawing our attention to the intricate details and vibrant colors of her subjects. She uses flowers like peonies and roses to represent themes of youth, sensuality, tenderness, and the fleeting nature of life.
Morelli’s art is a celebration of nature’s beauty and a reminder of its transience. By focusing on the delicate structures and vibrant hues of flowers, she invites us to pause and appreciate the often-overlooked details of the natural world. Her compositions, which blend fresh blooms with withering petals, highlight the beauty of each stage of life. Through her paintings, Morelli aims to convey positive messages and evoke a sense of hope and admiration for the wonders of nature.
I’m very interested in the cycle of time and I consider myself an environmental painter, focused on Mother Nature´s beauty. I find beauty in every natural object, under natural light and I can’t help painting them, representing any detail I see. Strong contrasts between lights and shadows are a visual effect I use in order to attract the viewer’s attention and then show him/her an extreme reality. Flowers represent youth, sensuality, tenderness, splendor, passion, love and beauty, but at the same time they represent the unbearable finitude of life. However with their incredible beauty and freshness, although transitory, they fill us with hope and convince us that life is worth living. The flowers that I usually paint, like peonies and roses, have a structure with enveloping petals, tender like the arms of a mother embracing her child and also sensual like woman’s bodies. I like to think of these curved structures as the beautiful female bodies from Renaissance.
The compositions I like the most are those that have variety of colors and shapes, with flowers that begin to wither combined with fresher ones and buds as well, showing the beauty of each stage of life. Sunlight is an element of great importance in my paintings, showing the power of light, without which we could not live. Flowers also have a positive meaning in themselves. When someone gives you flowers, they are saying to you: “I love you” , “I admire you” “Thank you” , “Forgive me” , “I desire you”, “You are unique” etc. This is the kind of positive messages I want to transmit to the viewer too. Through my paintings I expect people to stop for a while in their hurried lives and admire the great beauty in Nature which is usually taken for granted.
Maria Marta Morelli
More info: Website, Instagram.
