The tiny white blossoms on fruit trees herald spring as nature begins to push out the gray. As spring advances, almond and cherry trees blossom in pink to create a fragrant and colorful picture, as captured here by British painter Alfred Sisley (1839-1899). Sisley, who spent his life in France, has eternalized an orchard on his canvas.

Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853 -1890) greatly appreciated the Impressionist style of his contemporary, Sisley. Constantly searching for new ideas to spark his creativity, van Gogh loved the outdoors. Here, he depicts a lonesome man walking along the banks of the Seine river while trees are in full bloom.

French painter Claude Monet (1840 -1926) saw the blossoming spring as the most creative season for artists. He developed his color combinations in the garden and the surroundings of his house in Giverny trying to catch particular light effects. His two studios enabled him to work outside. His paintings of water-lilies became particularly famous.

Before developing his abstract color paintings, Russian Avant Garde artist Kazimir Malevitch (1879-1935) loved depicting natural scenes. At first, the young painter was strongly influenced by the late Impressionists - especially a particular painting by Monet: "That was the first time that I truly saw the light reflections of a blue sky, the pure transparent shades of color," he wrote in 1904.

Swiss-German artist Paul Klee (1879 - 1940) taught himself how to paint. After having been rejected by the Munich Academy in 1898, he traveled the world while exploring different artistic styles. He was particularly impressed by works of Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne. But he was looking for something different, an individual language of forms, as exemplified here. Happy Spring!