Karl Blossfeldt: Masterworks

Through Blossfeldt's lens, plants and flowers become gorgeous formal gestures

Karl Blossfeldt was a pioneer of botanical photography, though his interest in the plant world was initially educational. Fascinated by the structure of plants, whose seemingly artistic forms resulted from biological necessity, he realized that photography could be a useful teaching tool, allowing his students to see and compare natural forms. Working with a homemade camera, Blossfeldt gathered and photographed his own plant samples, magnifying them by up to 45 times. From around 1898 onward, he shot some 6,000 images, which he used primarily as visual aids in his classes.

Eventually published as Art Forms in Nature (1928) and Art Forms in Nature, Second Series (1932), Blossfeldt's photographs had a lasting impact on the art of his day and were enthusiastically embraced by both the Surrealist and New Objectivity movements. His books brought him overnight fame and are still considered landmarks in the history of art and photography. Karl Blossfeldt: Masterworks presents a remarkable collection of Blossfeldt's strikingly austere yet poetic portraits of plants, which capture their timeless beauty in intimate detail.

Masterworks... explores how his images provoke us to draw connections with the natural world, and reveals his traditional darkroom techniques. Sure to inspire fans of botany and photography alike--BBC Earth
More than 100 years after many of the images were made, they're still compelling.--PDN Photo of the Day
Blossfeldt's photographs seem to give biological forms an architectural, or sculptural quality. They showcase the artistic and architectural qualities of plants that came out of biological necessity.--Meg Miller "Fast Co Design "
The chosen "masterworks" in the book showcase his eye for overlooked details in nature... [and] remain compelling examples of looking closely at the world around us.--Allison Meier "Hyperallergic "