"KARL BLOSSFELDT. THE ALPHABET OF PLANTS" par Ann & Jürgen WILDE. Collection Schirmer Art Book. Editions Schirmer/Mosel, Munich. 1997. in-8, couverture toilée noire sous jaquette photo. 80 pages. Texte en anglais de Gert Mattenklott, traduit de l'allemand par Roger W. Benner, illustré de 44 reproductions photographiques noir & blanc hors texte par Karl Blossfeldt.

 

"Karl Blossfeldt (1865-1932) was neither a professional photographer nor a natural scientist. He was a sculptor, amateur photographer, and a professor at Berlin's school of arts and crafts where he tought modelling. His interest in the plant world was of an artistic and didactic nature: he was fascinated by the structure of plants, their organic configuration, and their "lofty artistic form" born "of expediency," which he wanted to illustrate and compare in a photographic style that could be described as strictly objective, almost graphic. His goal was to create a catalogue offorms for the benefit of artists, artisans, and, above all, architects, providing them with a book of instruction and models to guide them in their designs. In the late twenties, Blossfeldt published his photographs in two programmatic books: Urformen der Kunst and Wundergarten der Natur. They had a lasting impact on the artistic activity of his day and were met with enthusiasm, especially among the Surrealists and the leading advocates of the New Objectivity. They became classics of their genre, making their author famous overnight."

 

Ref LPB1082