Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #549280 in Books
• Published on: 2001-12-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 264 pages

From Library Journal
This stunning showcase of paintings by over 80 contemporary botanical artists from all over the world comes from Sherwood's own comprehensive collection; she acquired the works presented here since 1995. The paintings are beautifully reproduced, often with additional enlarged details, showing both their meticulous scientific detail and their dramatic beauty. An introductory section features both recent works and classic botanical paintings, showing how well recent works compare. The main section reproduces over 200 paintings, with a detailed discussion of each painting as well as biographical information about the artists and their working methods and Sherwood's personal relationship with them. An appendix provides smaller reproductions of more of her paintings and information about their artists. Sherwood also furnishes a list of all artists in her collection, an international directory of where to find botanical art, and classes and a schedule of her collection's future exhibits. Sherwood's 1996 work, Contemporary Botanical Artists: The Shirley Sherwood Collection, has become the standard reference work for botanical artists; this book will be an equally important purchase for both botanical and art collections. Marit MacArthur Taylor, Auraria Lib., Denver
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
A golden age of botanical art followed Europe's great voyages of discovery, but the creation and appreciation of botanicals languished during the twentieth century until its final years, when international interest in this distinctive art form was renewed almost single-handedly by Sherwood, whose personal collection of contemporary botanical art is considered the world's most comprehensive. This brilliantly produced monograph, Sherwood's reverent tribute to the rebirth of this precious art form, matches the best of modern botanical art against that of past masters with exquisite reproductions of more than 200 paintings by an impressive array of international talent. Renaissance artists intently recorded visions of nature never seen before; today's artists seek to capture botanical beauties threatened with extinction, chronicling life-forms that may never be seen again. Captivating and commanding, this opulent compilation superbly showcases vivid new interpretations of familiar subjects. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Shirley Sherwood is a major exponent of contemporary botanical art and her collection of over 400 works has been shown all over the world. Her love of this artistic subject has prompted her to start botanical art classes, led by leading artists in the field, in order to encourage new artists around the globe. Originally done to provide a visual record of plants from as long ago as the Ancient World, it reached its heyday during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries with artists such as Redoute, the Bauer Brothers and Ehret, creating masterpieces that were collected avidly for both their artistic merit and their scientific value. Still popular today, it is found adorning stationery items, wallpaper and textiles and is undergoing a resurgence of interest, in part due to Shirley wanting to share her passion with others. From the black and white pen and ink studies of Francesca Anderson, the almost photographic style of Raymond Booth to the botany book style of Regine Hagerdom and the perfection of Manko Imai, this collection of prints demonstrates the art of botanical drawing is very much alive today, not just here in Britain but around the globe. It has not only prospered but is continuing to develop in new and exciting ways and this beautiful work showcases the talents that are around today. - Lucy Watson

Customer Reviews

A superb, international collection of botanical art.
This is an excellent collection of botanical illustrations reproduced in very detailed, rich color on quality paper. Artists from all over the world are represented with brief biographies of each one. I think this book is one of the best books to have if you love botanical illustration and would like to see examples done by highly skilled, scientifically accurate illustrators. Just as good or better than the first Shirley Sherwood collection book.