Sunflowers From You Last Forever
Sunflowers From You Last Forever - Joshua Benmore
There’s something magnetic about Joshua Benmore’s Sunflowers From You Last Forever. At first glance, it’s bold and playful, a man standing in a field of towering sunflowers, his shirt open, his arms lifted skyward as if surrendering himself to joy. But sit with it for a while, and it unfolds into something much deeper: a painting about love, memory, and the comfort of simply being seen.
Measuring 59.5 x 74.5 cm (oil and acrylic on canvas), Benmore’s 2023 work bridges fine art, figurative portraiture, and contemporary pop vibrancy. The colours are unapologetically bright, the flowers almost oversized in their radiance, wrapping around the central figure like a halo of optimism. There’s romance here, but not in the clichéd sense. Instead, the sunflowers act as both gift and gesture, a reminder that affection, thoughtfulness, and companionship are the things that truly last.
Benmore himself calls it “a symbol of the gesture of romance lasting and being appreciated,” and you feel that sentiment radiating from the canvas. There’s a spontaneity in the brushwork, flowers scattering in the air, a hand reaching from the corner, that gives the whole piece the sense of being caught in a fleeting but profound moment. It’s not just about love for another, but also about self-love, acceptance, and the sanctuary of belonging.
Known for what he calls “romantic escapism,” Benmore uses nostalgia and vibrant iconography as a vehicle to explore life’s happiness and challenges. His wider body of work touches on politics, equality, consumerism, and mental health, often layering hidden messages beneath cheery facades of colour. Here too, the brightness feels like scaffolding, holding up something raw and sincere.
There’s a subtle universality to Sunflowers From You Last Forever. It’s about that feeling when someone notices the small things you love – when a simple gesture lingers longer than the most extravagant display. And it’s about the resilience of memory, the way love can root itself into our lives and keep blooming, even when everything else feels fleeting.
At its core, this painting is both personal and open-ended. It’s a canvas that doesn’t just ask to be looked at, but invites you to step inside and find your own story within it – a sunflower that, as the title promises, lasts forever.