The job requires great artistic skill, attention to fine detail, and technical horticultural knowledge.
What is botanical illustration?
Botanical illustration is the art of depicting the form, color, and details of plant life.
Photo:Biodiversity Heritage Library(CC BY 2.0)
Artists often used watercolor, gouache, or other paints to achieve the desired vibrancy.
As interest in botanical publications increased, the role ofbotanical illustratorcame to be considered a respected profession.
Read on to discover some of the most famous ones throughout history.
Photo: PHGCOM viaWikimedia Commons(Public domain)
Shes best known for illustrating the life cycle of an insect against the background of its host plant.
He drew all the new flowering plants at Kew and specialized in painting orchids.
Franz’s work is noted for its ability to capture the intricate aspects of plants.
Photo: Maria Sibylla Merian viaWikimedia Commons(Public domain)
Both a botanist and a masterful watercolorist, the plant genusTurpiniais named in honor of his creative legacy.
She contributed to the popularization of botany by writing and illustrating more than 20 books.
She produced 833 paintings from 17 countries in 14 years, depicting more than 900 species of plants.
Photo: Pierre-Joseph Redouté viaWikimedia Commons(Public domain)
Her paintings are now housed in theMarianne North Galleryat Kew Gardens, London.
Each work is made from recycled paper that the artist tints with natural dyes.
I tend to view my work as a 3D record of my knowledge and experiences of the natural world.
Photo: Franz Bauer viaWikimedia Commons(Public domain)
The project explored perception and perspective, and as well as life and death.
Each perfectly crafted form depicts the flowers delicate petals, near-perfect symmetry, and vibrant colors and patterns.
The explosion of color and perfume during the flowering months intoxicate the senses.
Photo: Anne Pratt viaWikimedia Commons(Public domain)
Photo: Marianne North viaWikimedia Commons(Public domain)
Photo: Ernst Haeckel viaWikimedia Commons(Public domain)
