The representation of plants in art could be the subject of a course that runs for years… so this talk is just a quick dip into some of the amazing stories and treasures you can find compressed into an hour.
Botanical art used to have rather a dull & staid reputation probably because of the of invention of photography. After all when we have fantastic digital cameras and microscopes and can see things with them “for real” why would we want a drawing or painting where the artist chooses what we see instead?
Actully that is the best reason. The artist can show you what the camera can’t. Every part of the plant can be included, including buds, flowers leaves and seeds, even cross-sections and parts invisible to the naked eye.
This talk shows how botanical art has evolved over the past 1500 years, and why it is still essential to the identification and classification of plants.
And in case you think thats all a bit serious there are lots of beautiful pictures!
GARDEN HISTORY TALKS 