The answer is: flower paintings, especially tulips
At that time, the paintings of flowers and small animals were highly appreciated by the Dutch nobles. They are willing to pay high prices for artists who managed to create a realistic artworks with those themes. Rachel Ruysch capitalized on this and became one of the highest paid flower painters on her time.
with the emergence of people republic of china 1949 came a new aesthetic that came by the government and the soviet union. Artists embraced contemporary and abstract ideals of the west.
