Picturing plants : an analytical history of botanical illustration
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Picturing plants : an analytical history of botanical illustration
Zwemmer, in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum , University of California Press, 1995
Available at / 1 libraries
-
No Libraries matched.
- Remove all filters.
Note
Bibliography: p. 149
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Some of the most ravishing images in the history of illustration have been those of plants. But who drew plants, and why? How have these images reflected our changing relationship with the natural world? The beautifully illustrated book explores the purpose and function of the whole range of botanical art, from early woodcut herbals and painted florilegia, botanical treatises and records of new discoveries, to gardening manuals, seed catalogs, and field guides for the amateur enthusiast . Gill Saunders complements the illustrations with detailed captions and an informative text, making this book for both specialist and lay reader. Drawing on a rich archive of material in the Victoria and Albert Museum, much of it unpublished untill now, Saunders presents works ranging from the fifteenth-century printed book to the art of contemporary illustrators. She includes acknowledged masters such as Ehret and Redoute as well as lesser-known examples from China, japan, and India. In addition to their intrinsic beauty, plant illustrations have mirrored the curious and fascinating relationship between art and science.
The artist's challenge has been to reconcile the often conflicting demands of those disciplines within a single image. Picturing Plants captures both this complex cultural history and the distinctive loveliness of botanical illustration, bringing a fresh approach to a perennially fascinating subject.
by "Nielsen BookData"