Cactus
The Cactus Lover, ca. 1855
Carl Spitzweg
Oil on Canvas
Grohmann Museum at Milwaukee School of Engineering
Carl Spitzweg was born in Germany, the second of three children. He was a practiced as a pharmacist who fell ill early in his life. When Spitzweg was recovering from the illness, he began painting and copying Flemish painters. By 1833, he had inhered money, and he started painting full time. He had depicted German life that was relatable and humorous. ‘The Cactus Lover,’ is of an official that is taking a late morning break. The official's body language is depicted as “very affectionate” to the red flower that is growing on the cacti, possibly an echinopsis huascha ( or Red Star Flower). The plant is leaning towards the official showing the same affection.
Carl Spitzweg
Oil on Canvas
Grohmann Museum at Milwaukee School of Engineering
Carl Spitzweg was born in Germany, the second of three children. He was a practiced as a pharmacist who fell ill early in his life. When Spitzweg was recovering from the illness, he began painting and copying Flemish painters. By 1833, he had inhered money, and he started painting full time. He had depicted German life that was relatable and humorous. ‘The Cactus Lover,’ is of an official that is taking a late morning break. The official's body language is depicted as “very affectionate” to the red flower that is growing on the cacti, possibly an echinopsis huascha ( or Red Star Flower). The plant is leaning towards the official showing the same affection.
Cactus are from the Americas since pre-Columbian times cactus are known for their extreme living environment, valuable uses, and their diverse forms and flowers. Only from the New World, cacti are mostly found in arid regions of the Americas. The word cactus originated from the Greek word Kaktos meaning spiny and whistled which translated to Cactus by Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist around the 1750’s.
When Columbus sailed to the New World, the Europeans would collect new and curious looking plants, such as cactus. As travelers from the Old World would become more fascinated with the New World, cactus would be transported by cargo ships and sold and traded to patrons across Europe for the study of art, interest, and science.
By the 17th century, cactus became popular in botanical gardens where many went to observe. They began to be popular for gardens or house plants.