The artwork, titled “Maidens picking Flowers by a Stream,” was created by the artist John William Waterhouse around the year 1911. This piece, executed with oil on canvas, belongs to the Romanticism art movement and falls within the genre of genre painting. It measures 94 by 80 centimeters and is currently held within a private collection.
In the artwork, the viewer is presented with a scene depicting young women immersed in the tranquil activity of picking flowers by a flowing stream. The central figure, dressed in a flowing red garment, is positioned in the foreground, kneeling to gather vibrant flowers, with her gaze directed intently towards the flora. She is framed by a backdrop of a serene landscape that includes a distant, rugged cliff and softly blurred trees and foliage. The other maidens in the scene are rendered with softer, less defined brushstrokes, implying their engagement in similar activities by the stream, contributing to the overall ethereal and dreamy quality of the painting. The use of gentle, subdued colors and the tender subject matter captures the romantic spirit of the era, evoking a sense of calm and pastoral beauty.
