Claude Monet: "Gardening was something I learned in my youth when I was unhappy. I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."  Bouquet of Sunflowers Oil Painting Reproductions On Canvas Museum Quality Hand-Painted Art Reproductions. Monet had painted bouquets of flowers on occasion throughout his career, and now, in a time of financial crisis, his own garden offered an alternative to expensive travel searching for subjects to paint. Critics praised these works and expressed surprise at Monet's mastery of such a traditional subject. Claude Monet painted Bouquet of Sunflowers in 1881. Six floral still lifes were included in Monet's submission to the seventh Impressionist exhibition. Claude Monet: "Gardening was something I learned in my youth when I was unhappy. I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."  Bouquet of Sunflowers Oil Painting Reproductions On Canvas Museum Quality Hand-Painted Art Reproductions. Monet had painted bouquets of flowers on occasion throughout his career, and now, in a time of financial crisis, his own garden offered an alternative to expensive travel searching for subjects to paint. Critics praised these works and expressed surprise at Monet's mastery of such a traditional subject. Claude Monet painted Bouquet of Sunflowers in 1881. Six floral still lifes were included in Monet's submission to the seventh Impressionist exhibition.