At the apex of the bouquet, two tulips, each with a butterfly resting on its petals, harmonize each other. Yet the composition is also extremely dynamic. A single iris creates a diagonal axis that leads the eye back to the orange. The positions and colors of flowers are arranged so that no single species or color dominates the canvas. Vivid reds, purples, blues, oranges and whites evenly animate the composition and encourage the eye to explore each part of the bouquet.
Plant life exists in precarious harmony with representatives of the insect world.
A snail inches toward the orange, a butterfly delicately rests on the edge of each tulip, ants cavort in the opened white petals of the peony at lower left, while a menacing bug enters on the ledge at far right. In addition to the bugs' entry, the outside world is referenced by the luminous reflection of a windowpane in the glass vase. Vase of Flowers teems with life as it hints at the ravages of time and natural processes of decay. The picture celebrates nature's inherent flux and reminds us that life is a transient, one-way process.