Not all painters have been interested in the accurately copying the structure of plants. Some have been more interested in capturing feelings of life and movement. For these artists, simplicity is often more important than precise details. Chinese and Japanese artists are master of this type of painting, some of their flower paintings are detailed, true-to-life studies. But most are very different from naturalistic paintings. Yet they are just as impressive-and just as “real”. With only a few strokes of a brush, these artists can portray a flowering tree or a lush chrysanthemum.
The Impressionist artists of 19th and 20th century Europe were likewise not interested in precise details. They were much more interested in the way different light conditions changed the appearance of a subject. The characteristics of light depend on the time of day and on the weather, and the Impressionists used small dabs of unmixed color to help portray its effects.