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Adiantum pedatum

Karl Blossfeldt

Artwork Details

Adiantum pedatum
1928
Karl Blossfeldt
rotogravure on paper
9 5/16 in x 12 1/8 in (23.65 cm x 30.8 cm)
Gift of Eeta Gershow
2014/2.9

Description

Subject Matter:

Displayed as a diptych, these photographs show close-up views of a grouping of young ferns.  The delicate plants rise upwards against a flat, white background, their sinuous stems curling into intricate spirals at their tops. The group on the right consists of three ferns, their stems bristling with spikey leaves. The pair on the left cross one another, and then meet again near their tops, their two heads nuzzling against one another. The positioning and dynamism of the plants’ organic forms lends them an uncannily expressive quality, animal-like and graceful. With a handmade camera of his own devising, Blossfeldt was able to enlarge this view of them twelve times over, creating a sharp and richly detailed image. Printed in matte, green-black tones, this image originally appeared in the books, Urformen der Kunst  (1928) and Art Forms in Nature (1929), and accompanied other closeup views of botanical specimens. 

Physical Description:

Presented as a diptych, this plate presents two closeup views of a grouping of young ferns positioned against a light background.  

Usage Rights:

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