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Arthur Harry Church
The Anatomy of Flowers
David Mabberley
The revolutionary drawings of Arthur Harry Church (1865-1937) are considered some of the finest botanical illustrations of the twentieth century. His mastery of microtechnique lends a startling clarity and razor-sharp edge to the many cross-sections and diagrams of flowers that he produced to accompany his elegant studies. Immured in the Botanical Gardens at Oxford, he was in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the most knowledgeable yet least travelled botanist in Britain. An academic recluse, Church considered flowers to be machines for ensuring successful sexual reproduction in plants. His clinical attitude belies the freshness and boldness of his spectacular illustrations of their internal structures. His technique and style showed brilliant eroticism and a modernity that were well in advance of his time.
Published by Merrell Publishers in collaboration with the Natural History Museum.
Key features
- Previously unpublished material from the Library of the Natural History Museum
- Appealing to those with an interest in botanical art and to plant lovers everywhere
- Fascinating story of Church's life and work
- Beautifully illustrated in colour with examples of Church's work (60 colour plates)
- No other work on the art of Church in print
Contents
Introduction; Devon and Wales; Oxford; Types of Floral Mechanism; Thalassiophyta; The Botany of the Garden in Eden; Pretty dickey; Bibliography; Notes to the Plates and Figures; Index.
About the author
David Mabberley is Honorary Research Associate at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.
About the series
The artistically superb and scientifically important natural history paintings by pioneer artists in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries have, until now, resided in the relative obscurity of the archives of the Natural History Museum, London, almost entirely unseen by the public since their creation. This ground-breaking series on the art of nature reintroduces these essential artists to both the artistic and scientific communities, bringing to light new scholarship by leading authors, re-examining the art, historical significance and contribution to scientific knowledge of these superb artists. Each is treated individually in their own exquisitely designed and illustrated volume. The Art Series is fundamental reading for natural historians, scientists, lovers of botanical and natural history illustrations and all those interested in the development of our understanding of the natural world.
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Ordering information
Individuals and trade customers order from: Merrell Publishers
Specifications
ISBN: 1 85894 116 4
Price: £29.95
Format: Hardback
Size: 290 x 230 mm
Extent: 128 pp
Published: September 2000
Subject classification: Art history; natural history; botanical art
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