Flora

The plant must be valued as a totally artistic and architectural structure.
– Karl Blossfeldt

The images in this gallery spring from my interest in form and texture – in short, sculpture. In looking at plant forms, I am indebted to my parents, who introduced me to the work of Karl Blossfeldt at a young age. Blossfeldt was a German photographer best known for his close-up images of plants and other living things, first published in 1929 as Urformen der Kunst, now available from Dover as Natural Art Forms. (See sample plate.) His approach was echoed in Edward Weston’s monumental close-ups of seashells and vegetables, and Imogen Cunningham’s still life and plant studies – which bring out the rich textures of their sculptural forms.

To view the images below as a full-size slide show, place your cursor over any photo and click on the magnifying glass icon that appears in the blue field. The image will open larger, with pop-out navigation arrows at the edge of the frame.