Art Illustration

Botanical Illustration

Is there anything more exquisite than a perfect botanical illustration with its subtle coloration, fine line, detailed drawing and simple, clutter-free background?  Perhaps not.   But, botanical illustration was not designed to be art; it was created for a scientifically accurate depiction of plants.  Specific details of the plants were recorded, the aim being to distinguish one plant from another.  The illustrations were initially used by physicians and scientists, and exactness was required—not an artistic painting.  But as it turns out, both things were achieved, even though botanicals as art are a relatively new application.

Although many famous people painted flowers (Monet, Renoir and modernist Georgia O’Keeffe), their approach was strictly for art, not scientific detail.  Today, photography is the most frequently used documentation of flora, but long before the camera was invented, botanical illustration was a vital tool for learning the intricacies of plant life.  From the start, fine-line drawings were hand colored with watercolor to capture as lifelike coloration, shape and detail as possible.

One of the earliest documented herbal books was an encyclopedia done in 141.  It contained 440 illustrations.  But even earlier was a Syrian tomb decorated in 1500 BC with 275 plant drawings.  Scientific minds have used detailed botanical illustrations for thousands of years.

Some of the earliest botanical drawings were done to record plants used as medicine.  The drawings identified plants and herbs that were used to treat illnesses and had to be accurate so that whoever was collecting the plant would select wisely.  These early books contained drawings that were individually drawn and then colored.  When more than one book was created, each drawing was repeatedly redrawn and recolored.

As Europeans became intrigued with flowering plants, their interest in botanical illustrations followed.  With the discovery of new colors of pigment, the colors used became more realistic, and the drawings were sought for décor as everything from wall art to wall coverings.

As technology advanced and printing came into the picture, wood-cuts and etchings were created individually and then hand colored to achieve the pages.  And as time passed and mass production of illustrations for books became important, multiple prints were done, but still colored page-by-page.

Today, there are two centers where botanical illustrations are collected or living plants are exhibited, helping rekindle interest in this exquisite style of drawing.  One is The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, near London, England, where you can see living examples of one in eight of all plant species.  Secondly, the Art Department holdings at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Melon University in Pittsburgh, PA, include over 29,000 original paintings (mostly 20^th century watercolors), drawings and original prints dating from the Renaissance to the present. Visit http://huntbot.andrew.cmu.edu/.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 21, No. 11 — September 2011