10 Beautiful Paintings to Welcome Spring

Spring means renewal and hope. From Renaissance tales to Impressionist landscapes, the season has been likened to nature awakening and has served as an inspiration for countless works of art. Here are ten remarkable paintings showing how artists have captured the essence of spring.

1. Sandro Botticelli, Primavera

Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera is one of the most well-discussed and iconic Western paintings about spring. Its title literally means “spring.” In the piece, a group of mythological figures gather in a garden, yet there is no definite narrative to explain what brought them together. Critics see the painting as an allegory symbolizing the flourishing of spring. While their exact interpretations differ, many acknowledge the influence of Neoplatonism, a philosophy that captivated the intellectual circles of Florence during the Renaissance.

2. Vincent van Gogh, Almond Blossom

Almond Blossom is part of a series of paintings Vincent van Gogh created between 1888 and 1890 in the southern French towns of Arles and Saint-Rémy, both known for their abundant almond trees. For Van Gogh, the flowering trees signified renewal and hope. The delicate branches of the almond tree appear to float against a vibrant blue sky, filling the canvas with their intricate beauty. Dark outlines define the branches, a stylistic feature inspired by Japanese floral studies that Van Gogh admired. The painting was specifically made to celebrate the birth of his nephew, the son of Theo and Jo, who was named after him.

3. Claude Monet, Springtime

In this verdant Springtime, Claude Monet portrays his first wife, Camille Doncieux. After moving to Argenteuil, a village northwest of Paris, in 1871, Monet found inspiration in the area’s vibrant atmosphere frequented by urban visitors. The village became an epicenter of Impressionism, with many of Monet’s colleagues joining him there. In the spring of 1872, he painted several works in his garden featuring Camille. Monet’s second wife, Alice Hoschedé, had many of Camille’s mementos destroyed, leaving the paintings as the primary witnesses of Camille being part of Monet’s life.

4. Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Spring

Arcimboldo‘s Spring belongs to a four-part cycle called The Seasons, a theme that the artist would frequent and paint for the Holy Roman court of Vienna and Prague. This particular series, now exhibited in Paris, had been commissioned by Emperor Maximilian II for Augustus, Elector of Saxony. The underlying principle of Arcimboldo’s compositions is the arrangement of objects, which all together would compose an image, such as a personified figure. However, the fruits or vegetables involved do not have any mimetic properties; they only mean something when they become subject to Arcimboldo’s painterly maneuvers. But what a beautiful cabbage as the arm here!

5. René Magritte, Spring

René Magritte was a Belgian Surrealist artist known for his witty and thought-provoking imagery. He loved painting birds and frequently situated ordinary objects in unexpected contexts, challenging viewers’ preconditioned perceptions of reality. His work has had a lasting influence on pop, minimalist, and conceptual art.

6. Tintoretto, Allegorical Figure of Spring

This young woman, adorned with a cluster of flowers appearing to sprout from her womb, embodies the essence of spring—renewal, birth, and revival. This artwork was originally part of a series of four paintings, each depicting a different season, that once graced the ceiling of the Palazzo Barbo in Venice. In 1648, writer Carlo Ridolfi described the collection as a “capriccio of dreams,” likening it to a musical composition that captures the fleeting thoughts and visions that emerge in the dream world.

7. Lawrence Alma Tadema, Spring

Another masterpiece to welcome spring is this procession of women and children descending marble stairs adorned with brightly colored flowers. Lawrence Alma-Tadema represented here the Victorian custom of sending children into the country to collect flowers on the morning of May 1, or May Day, but against the backdrop of ancient Rome. Alma-Tadema’s paintings gained popularity later when his large panoramic depictions of Greek and Roman life caught the attention of Hollywood. Some scenes in Cecil B. De Mille’s film, Cleopatra (1934), were inspired by Spring (1894).

8. Paul Gauguin, The Loss of Virginity (Awakening of Spring)

This painting was created during Paul Gauguin‘s short stay in Paris when he started to dabble in Symbolism. The Loss of Virginity (1890-91) depicts a Breton landscape with a nude young woman lying in the foreground while a fox, symbolizing lust in Hindu mythology, rests on her shoulder. In the background, a wedding party in traditional Breton attire approaches. The work was inspired by Gauguin’s relationship with his 20-year-old lover, Juliette Huet, whom he left pregnant when he departed for Tahiti.

9. John William Waterhouse, A Song of Springtime

John William Waterhouse was an English artist who began his career in the Academic tradition before adopting the style and themes of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His work is particularly noted for its portrayal of women drawn from Greek mythology and Arthurian legend.

10. Walter Crane, The Fate of Persephone

And now, let’s move on to the myth of Persephone—the mythological origins of spring. This is one of Walter Crane’s largest and most important paintings. It depicts Hades emerging with his black horses from a volcanic crack in the earth at Enna, catching Persephone off guard as she picks the fateful narcissus. Her three maidens stand apart from her, frightened and separated by the crack in the earth. The foreground is filled with luscious flowers, especially narcissus and anemones. On the other hand, the background reveals a dramatic landscape of mountains sloping down to a dark sea, with orchards in bloom and a city with towering walls, beyond which Mount Etna erupts. A blossoming pomegranate tree in the foreground subtly hints at the myth’s promise of Persephone’s return. In the distance, a small figure on the mountain symbolizes the grief of Demeter, Persephone’s mother.