“Is it trivial to think of flowers in times like these?” asked in Art in America . Certainly not if the blossoms were painted by Rachel Ruysch, a Dutch artist who outsold Rembrandt in her day but has not been the subject of a major museum exhibition until the current traveling show, now at its final of three stops. Ruysch (1664–1750) painted floral still lifes “with an exquisite touch,” and “pure pleasure abounds” in any stroll through the show. But Ruysch also seemed to understand that beauty is “a reminder of our vulnerability,” of the fleetingness of life. In a typical Ruysch painting, “stems are snapped, leaves yellow and wilt,” and “a lizard prepares to pounce on a nest of freshly laid eggs.” She shows us bountiful bouquets. And yet “the world holds together in its wondrous beau

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