- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (April 15 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1842464175
- ISBN-13: 978-1842464175
- Product Dimensions: 28.4 x 22.6 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 1.7 Kg
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #522,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"The Art of Plant Evolution showcases the extensive collection of plant paintings amassed by Sherwood and now displayed in rotation in the magnificent new Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The quality and quantity of the paintings takes one's breath away . . . The book, however, isn't just a selection of pretty paintings. . . . In a series of introductory chapters, the authors clearly and simply lay out the evidence on which our understanding of plant evolution is based. They talk about phylogenetics, the role of fossils in understanding patterns of evolution, and the coevolution of plants and animals. . . . The paintings themselves are stunning, a testament to the renaissance of botanical art. Most are contemporary and well illustrate that the art of beautifully depicting plants in a scientifically accurate way is far from dead."—American Scientist
(Sandra Knapp American Scientist ) "A celebration of the marriage of plant evolution and art. Eighty-four artists depict in 136 paintings the botanical relationships between plant forms as identified by the most recent research, such as DNA sequencing. In the introduction, distinguished botanist W. John Kress analyzes these evolutionary relationships and the current classification of major plant groups. Art expert Shirley Sherwood describes the backgrounds of individual artists and the significance of each beautiful painting."—Marilyn K. Alaimo, Chicago Botanic Garden
(Marilyn K. Alaimo Chicago Botanic Garden )
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Product Description
This beautiful mix of art and science offers a breathtaking look at the way that contemporary scientific discoveries are changing our understanding of plants and plant evolution. Nearly one hundred and fifty paintings, by eighty-four artists, are reproduced in full color to present a sweeping overview of the evolution of plants worldwide. The paintings cover a wide range of plants, including ferns, fungi, conifers, algae, mosses, and a rich bounty of flowering plants; accompanying each painting is up-to-date evolutionary information—drawn from recent DNA analysis—plus observations by each of the artists and details about modern plant classification. Written for the nonspecialist, The Art of Plant Evolution is sure to enchant inquisitive green thumbs and gardeners.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely beautiful book!, Feb 26 2011
By Deborah Greener - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Art of Plant Evolution (Paperback)
This book is an incredible effort - a compendium of botanical evolutionary history and botanical art co-authored by a biologist and curator from the Smithsonian Museum (Kress) and a well-known British author and collector of botanical art (Sherwood). I found this book absolutely fascinating. I am not a professional botanist and know very little about the science side of this book. While I could not benefit from all of the scientific specifics, I was certainly able to understand enough, and to appreciate the beauty of the artwork that adorns almost half of the pages in this large volume (300+ pages). The full color plates of the graphite, pen & ink, watercolor, acrylic, and oil renderings of 136 botanical specimens fill entire pages, enticing the reader to spend long hours poring over the pages. Each piece of artwork has an associated discussion of the evolutionary history of the botanical specimen, and a brief biography of the artist. Details of each piece of art are also provided (title, size, media, ground, signature). I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in botany and botanical art.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous art and exciting taxonomy, Aug 25 2010
By Loisart - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Art of Plant Evolution (Hardcover)
This is a wonderful book, with up to date information on plant classification and taxonomy based on DNA rather than visual relationships. The art illustrating the new relationships is fabulous. This is a must have for any serious botanist or botanical artist.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Art and science packaged to perfection, Aug 10 2010
By Michael Marcotrigiano - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Art of Plant Evolution (Paperback)
This is the type of book from which everyone can learn because of its "liberal arts" nature. The book lays out the current science of plant evolution but in a most interesting way. By putting stunning botanical art in a sequence parallel to evolutionary relationships, you begin to see the value of botanical art, not just as something lovely to look at, but as a learning tool for those interested in how plant anatomy relates to plant evolution. It is not a book intended for plant evolutionary biologists to get current with their field nor is it a primer for aspiring botanical artists. It would be shallow in that respect. That being said, it is not a "coffee table" book in the sense that you can thumb through it and put it down. It contains significant botanical content and enough text to learn not only about how plant relationships are established but how the artist themselves came into prominence. When all is said and done the price is one of the more amazing things. Over 300 thick giant pages of art and text - such a deal. For those of you thinking of cutting out the art for framing many of the plates are broken by the binder as they span two pages but the paper is thick enough that if you were ever so short-sighted as to get your scissors out at least the images that are on a single page do not show print from the back of the page. But please keep this book intact and enjoy it for a long time. What a great idea it was to join art and science in a way that everyone benefits.
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