"I am following Nature without being able to grasp her, I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."
Claude Monet
Monet's poppy field paintings were a reflection of how he felt about nature and man. Man being part of nature, not nature being there to serve man. This is why the poppies are the focus in his paintings and the people come second.
Poppy Field in Argenteuil - Hand Painted Canvas Art Reproductions