A Passion for Plants: Contemporary Botanical Masterworks [Paperback]

Shirley Sherwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 28, 2003

The book chronicles the revival in popularity of this genre and features most of the main artists working today. Sherwood's collection, encompassing work from around the globe, is the finest held in private hands. The extended introduction touches on the revival, on the quality of this new work and compares it with the great artists of the past, like Redoute, Ehret, and the Bauer brothers. The main body of the book contains pictures from 66 different botanical artists. In her own distinctive style, Dr Sherwood profiles each artist, often describing how she came to collect the artist's work and how the artist's work has evolved.

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Seven Dials (March 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304361666
• ISBN-13: 978-0304361663
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,025,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb, international collection of botanical art., May 30, 2002

By 

BlueR "bluerabbit77" (Oakland/Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Passion For Plants: Contemporary Botanical Masterpieces (Hardcover)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Contemporary Botanical Art, May 7, 2005

By 

David B Richman (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Passion for Plants: Contemporary Botanical Masterworks (Paperback)

As a rank beginner in watercolor and pen and ink I much appreciate the effort it takes to produce great illustrations of natural objects. Shirley Sherwood has brought together her remarkable collection of modern botanical paintings (and some ink renderings) in "A Passion for Plants: Contemporary Botanical Masterworks" and made them accessible to the public. It is certainly an impressive effort.

Unlike many styles of illustration, botanical art usually involved a finely detailed painting on a white background, occasionally with additional smaller drawings or paintings. Occasionally a background is also provided, but most have no background. The renditions of just about every artist featured are extremely well done and it is hard to pick a favorite. Kate Nessler's watercolor of Rose Hips & Oak Leaves, Mariko Imai's exquisite watercolors of carnivorous plants, Elizabeth Dowle's paintings of fruit, Francesca Anderson's detailed ink renditions of sunflowers and cacti, and John Wilkinson's ultra realistic (complete with insect damage and hover flies!) watercolor of Ligularia, are just a few of the treats in this magnificent book. It sure makes for a tough standard, but a worthy one, for us beginners!

A great book for artists, botanists and anyone interested in plant illustration!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reference, January 11, 2007

By 

Katherine E. Donovan "lifelong learner" (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Passion for Plants: Contemporary Botanical Masterworks (Paperback)

This book is very helpful, especially as a reference for anyone learning botanical illustration or anyone wanting to learn about specific botanical artists.

It's beautiful art work also makes it very nice as a "coffee table" book for others to admire.