A BOOK ABOUT ART’S FASCINATION WITH FLORA
Since long before photography, high-resolution scanning, or sophisticated microscope technology could exert their immeasurable impact on the way we view plants and flowers, human beings have been drawn to replicate their sinuous shapes and colours both for scientific and for aesthetic purposes. The proof exists in abundance, from ancient stone carvings and early watercolour paintings, to explorers’ diagrams, made on discovery of new terrains, and eye-wateringly close shots of stigma and stamen.
A gargantuan new book from Phaidon, released today, comprises all of these and many more, in gorgeous high high-resolution reproductions, and coupled with fascinating stories about their origins. “Highlights of the 300 botanical images include the oldest surviving medieval manuscript from 512AD; watercolours made on James Cook’s exploration of Australia; and an electron micrograph scan of the cannabis plant by Ted Kinsman,” Phaidon explains, while “accompanying the illustrations are stories of those adventurous botanists, scientists and painters whose names and work are lesser known or have since been forgotten.”
Perhaps even more fascinating is the unprecedented range of artists included; alongside the bread and butter of botanical illustration – Ernst Haeckel, Charles Darwin and the like – sit Araki, Nick Knight, and Marc Quinn, resulting in a highly nuanced curation of imagery from across the ages. An indispensable coffee table book for the green-fingered and mere admirers alike.
Page from Dara Shikoh Album, c.1633Mohammad Khan © public domain / British Library
Yellow lantern banksia (Banksia lemanniana), 1988Celia Rosser © Monash University. Image courtesy of Monash University Museum of Art
Beach Barringtonia (Barringtonia asiatica), from Australian Rainforest Fruits: A Field Guide, 1994William T. Cooper © W. T. Cooper from Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest, 2005
Cabbage gum (Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. parvifructa), c.1955Stan Kelly © Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. Picture credit: State Botanical Collection, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
Large Flowering Sensitive Plant’ from Robert John Thornton, The Temple of Flora, 1799Philip Reinagle © Natural History Museum, London / Science Photo Library
Cactus No. 59, 2011Lee Kwang-Ho © Lee Kwang Ho / Johyun Gallery
Various flowering plants, 1792Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin and Johannes Scarf © Natural History Museum, London / Science Photo Library
Papaver somniferum, from Honzō Zufu, 1920–2Iwasaki Tsunemasa © The National Diet Library, Tokyo. Picture credit: Courtesy the National Diet Library, Japan
Liverworts (Hepaticae), from Kunstformen der Natur, 1899Ernst Haeckel © Fine Art / Alamy Stock Photo
Rosa centifolia: Rosier à cent feuilles, 1820Pierre-Joseph Redouté © The Art Archive / Eileen Tweedy
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