The flower as painter’s muse

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Painterly Plants

By Clare Foster with photographs by Sabina Rüber

‘Study nature diligently…for truly art is hidden in nature and he who can draw it out possesses it’ (Albrecht Dürer) 

Painterly Plantsis a beautifully produced new book that focuses on 14 flowering plants‘whose intricacy and beauty have fascinated both artists and gardeners throughout the centuries’.Many of these flowers – the rose, tulip, dahlia, narcissus, iris, carnation, camellia and peony – are widely familiar to gardeners and flower shop patrons, whereas others, such as the auricula, fritillary, hellebore, hippeastrum, water lily and nerine, may be less so. The author traces each plant’s history, pointing out notable artistic and horticultural examples, and even including practical information on cultivation.

Adapted from a series that first appeared in House & Garden magazine (where the author is Garden Editor), the text is approachable, informative and entertaining. We followeach plant from its (often exotic) origin through it discovery, trade, collection and propagation, meet the (often colourful) protagonists involved, and come away with a better understanding of the plants we admire today.

Before reading a word of the text, however, anyone who picks up this book will be captivated by the artistic and, yes, ‘painterly’ plant portraiture by gardens photographer Sabina Ruber. Taken at close range and often in soft-focus, Ruber’s photos draw us into each flower, revealing details of form, pattern and colour that would be missed by a casual glance or at a greater distance. We see the slashing scarlet brushstrokes of a parrot tulip; the stippled spring pinks and greens of a hellebore; the chalky blue anthers of a cottage pink; the watercolour checkerboard of a purple snake’s head fritillary; and each grain of the white ‘farina’ that dusts a deep purple auricula.

In addition to the numerous colour photos, each chapter also includes a key botanical illustration. The author points out that botanical art, besides its artistic value, ‘is as true a record as you can get in the vast and complicated world of plants’. These historical records allow us to see how species once appeared, how they were used and favoured, and how they have altered over time. Foster discusses the numerous works of art that comprise each plant’s lineage, and my only complaint is that I wish more examples were reproduced.

Like a lovely box of chocolates, Painterly Plants is the kind of book that is a pleasure to dip into. You may first be drawn in by the book’s lush photography, clean and elegant design and fine printing quality, but the text makes for an enjoyable and satisfying read. At one sitting, you’llmarvel at the delicate pink shading and beautiful geometry of the Camillia japonica ‘Nuccio’s Pearl’, then learn that tea was discovered by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung when the leaves from another camellia ‘fell into a pan of water boiling on an outdoor stove’.

Elsewhere, you’ll find out that the clove-scented Dianthus (carnation) can be seen as embroidery on the dress in Botticelli’s Primavera, and was a popular needlework motif even a century later. You’ll also find out that the lady in the Unicorn Tapestry panel representing scent, ‘stands in the centre weaving a crown of scented carnations, while a mischievous monkey holds one up to his nose to smell it’.As you take in the delightful variation of colour and form among these little flowers, you’ll also discover that the small Dianthus known as pinks are named not for their colour, but for their pinked (zigzag) edges.

These, and other pleasures, will give the readers of Painterly Plants – whether they’re gardeners, artists or anyone else who appreciates the beauty of flowers – a deeper understanding of these ‘muse’ flowers, and a desire to get out to see more.

Painterly Plants by Clare Foster, photography by Sabina Ruber is published by Merrell Publishing, 2012. 160 pp., 241 colour illus. ISBN 978-I-8589-4555-2