The Courtauld Gallery Collection Online
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Botanical
Botany in Art: Nature Observed, Imagined, Celebrated
Go to nature in all singleness of heart, and walk with her laboriously and trustingly, having no other thought, but how best to penetrate her meaning; reflecting nothing, selecting nothing, and scorning nothing. (John Ruskin, 1843. Modern Painters, Vol. 1, p. 418)
Art has long turned to the botanical world not only for beauty, but also as a way to explore scientific enquiry, intertwined with emotional depth, transformation, order and symbolism.
As understanding of the natural world grew, its intricacies and mechanisms, botanical studies became integral to artistic training in many societies and cultural contexts. Blending observation with imagination, artists cultivated a visual language rooted in nature’s forms, rhythms, colours.
From meticulous and delicate sketches of thistles and columbines, sketchbook visual studies, colourful and complex still-life compositions, to bold avant-garde prints and stylised ceramics, this selection reflects a deep curiosity about the structure, spirit, and symbolism of plants. Together, they invite us to celebrate the living world through art.
