In the Introduction of Botanica Magnifica: Portraits of the World’s Most Extraordinary Flowers & Plants, Marc Hachadourian, the Curator of Glasshouse Collections at New York Botanical Garden, discusses the centuries-old association between science and art, citing specifically the relationship between a botanist and an artist. He explains that photographer Jonathan M. Singer, inspired by early botanical artists such as Walter Hood Fitch, Basil Besler, and Franz Bauer, as well as contemporary botanical artists Pandora Sellars, Anne Farrer, and Celia Rosser, set out to develop a digital photography technique that would capture a viewer’s emotions through lighting and detail and surpass “the capability of brush and paint.”
Singer has definitely accomplished his objective. Botanica isn’t simply a book of nice photographs that you browse through. It is a collection of plant portraits that pulls viewers into each image to study what is there. The act of browsing never crosses your mind. Singer’s portraits make you pause and make you feel compelled to experience the graceful movement of petals, the fragility of exposed stamen, the withering of a style past its prime, the order of patterns, the density of spines, and the beauty of dissected leaves.
The baby elephant folio of Botanica Magnifica is comprised of five volumes. Each volume begins with a foreword by either Marc Hachadourian or W. John Kress who is the Curator of Botany and Research Scientist at the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institute. Each volume ends with an appendix of large thumbnails featuring the plants in a given volume, along with a caption detailing each plant’s place of origin, its unique characteristics, and/or its history. The five volumes in this collection are:
- Orchidaceae – A collection of representatives in the orchid family, with a forward providing an overview of this plant family.
- Florilegium – A diverse collection of flower images, with a foreword about the evolution of plants.
- Proteus – A collection of plant forms with a foreword about plant adaptations and plant diversity.
- Zingiberaceae – A tribute to the ginger family.
- Botanicus – A collection of flowers and plants collected or being studied by Smithsonian botanists.
This magnificent collection of plant portraits is the work of podiatrist Jonathan Singer, whose lifelong interest in photography became more of a central focus in his life when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. View an interview with Singer on CBS News by clicking on the link below. In this interview, you will also see the large double elephant folio of Botanica Magnifica that is now in the rare book collection at the Smithsonian.
Would you like to view a copy of Botanica Magnifica yourself? ArtPlantae will be displaying a copy of Singer’s work at The Women’s Conference on October 26-27, 2009. Orders for the baby elephant edition of this book will be taken at this time. This book can also be ordered online at ArtPlantae Books. The special pre-publication price of $135 has been extended. The post-publication price for Botanica Magnifica will be $185.
Abbeville Press has announced a book tour for Botanica Magnifica and The Weeping Goldsmith a book by W. John Kress. Check the Abbeville Press website for complete details. As of this moment, the touring schedule looks like this:
- Sunday, November 1, 2009 – Westwood Art Gallery, Westwood, NJ
- Saturday, November 7, 2009 – Denver Botanic Garden, Denver, CO
- Monday, November 9, 2009 – Collected Works Bookstore, Santa Fe, NM
- Wednesday, November 18, 2009 – Alabama Booksmith (Sponsored by the Birmingham Botanical Garden), Birmingham, AL
- Friday, March 19, 2010 – Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago, IL
- Thursday, May 13, 2010 – Garden Club of America Annual Conference, New Brunswick, NJ
Related
ArtPlantae Today 