Introduction
Continuing the one-week creative journey in Đà Lạt, Annam Gallery and Lân Tinh Foundation are pleased to announce the first satellite event of from Art Trail #01 - Travelling & Open Studio called: BOTANICAL ART: WAYS OF SEEING | Lăng Kính Thực Vật Họa with artist Phan Thị Thanh Nhã.
Time: from October 20th to 23rd, 2023 at the following time frames:
- 09:00am - 10:00am
- 10:30am - 11:30am
- 02:00pm - 03:00pm
- 03:30pm - 04:30pm
Location: 371/4 Hai Ba Trung, Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, HCM city
Ticket price: 100,000 VND (one postcard included)
The audience will be introduced to Botanical Art with artist Thanh Nhã, learning fundamental knowledge about biology and the evolution of the plant kingdom. Questions such as “What elements make up a Botanical Art drawing?”, “What family does water chestnut belong to?”, “Are ferns edible or not?” or “What is the difference between algae and moss?”… will be answered by Nhã at the meeting from October 20-22, 2023.
With the desire to share and spread her passion for Botany with the public, Thanh Nhã will lead art lovers to a series of multi-sensory experiences and “Botanical Art: Ways of Seeing” is the first event in the series.
What is Botanical Art?
BOTANICAL ART originates from “BOTANY”, the scientific study of plants. For a work to be recognized as botanical art, it must first ensure botanical accuracy before considering artistic techniques and aesthetic values to qualify as a work of art.
Thus, botanical art is a specialized field where botanical science and artistic expression intersect, complementing and enhancing one another. The creation of a botanical artwork requires close collaboration between a botanist and a botanical artist to ensure both scientific accuracy and the faithful depiction of the distinctive beauty of each plant species.
What is the process of creating botanical artwork?
Step 1: Identifying the plant species to be illustrated.
This step consists of two sub-steps:
- Obtaining a real specimen or reference images.
- Determining the scientific name of the species to be illustrated.
| Advantages | Disadvantages | |
|---|---|---|
| Ornamental Plants Cultivated Plants | Easy to find and directly observe fresh specimens | Frequently encounter distorted specimens, leading to inaccuracies in the botany. |
| Wild Plants | Become one of the few people to illustrate this species. Your illustration becoming the first, the “protolog” is very high. | Difficult to find, usually only worked with dried specimens |
With the scientific name of the species being illustrated, the artist can find a wealth of useful information related to the plant: its distribution area, preferred habitat, cultural, historical, and medicinal significance, etc. From this, the artist gains a broader understanding of the plant and, in some cases, may even plant and propagate the species at their own location.
Step 2: Sketching and arranging details on white paper, typically using a pencil.
At this stage, as scientific illustration of plants (Botanical Illustration) involves more details than botanical art, arranging the details in a way that is both aesthetically pleasing and easy to understand is the most crucial step in botanical illustration.
Step 3: Referencing and refining the sketch based on the botanist’s feedback.
The more detailed the illustration, the more important the input from the botanist becomes. This step should be repeated several times until the final sketch gains consensus from both the artist and the botanist.
Step 4: Scanning the entire sketch onto oil paper, then scanning again onto drawing paper.
Since most types of drawing paper are highly sensitive to erasing, any erasure can damage the paper’s surface and degrade the quality of the artwork.
Step 5: Creating a protective “layer” for the artwork.
Because botanical artworks and illustrations take a significant amount of time to complete, placing a protective layer of paper over the surface helps minimize potential damage during the creative process (such as accidentally dropping brushes, paint, and ink on the paper, rubbing the surface with hands, or insects visiting).
Step 6: Finalizing the artwork.
As both a botanist and a botanical artist, how does Thanh Nhã’s process of creating botanical art differ from the process outlined above?
As both a botanist and a botanical artist, Thanh Nhã’s process of creating botanical art differs from the previously outlined process in several key aspects. While the standard process involves collaboration between a botanist and a botanical artist, Thanh Nhã’s dual role allows her to independently handle both the scientific research and the artistic creation. This dual capacity enables her to streamline the process, reducing the time typically required for both research and artistic execution.
Thus, Thanh Nhã’s process begins with the research phase from the perspective of a botanist and concludes with the finalization of the artwork in her role as an artist.
Notable questions from the audience
1. What is the difference between botanical art and still life painting?
| Still life Art | Botanical Art | |
|---|---|---|
| A description of a plant species using a drawing, without needing to be COMPLETE. | ||
| Purpose | Appreciate | Appreciate |
| Scientific accuracy | None | Strictly |
| Reference materials | Flowers in a vase, growing in the garden, fields… | - Plants - Specimens |
| Art techniques | - Background painting - Monochrome and Polychrome | - Rarely paint the background - Various paper colors, with the most common being slightly off-white paper. - Monochrome and Polychrome |
2. Why do some of Ms. Nhã’s artworks have a vertical orientation while others have a horizontal orientation?
3. How long does Thanh Nhã typically take to complete a work of botanical art?
If we consider only the drawing process, Thanh Nhã usually requires about 1-2 weeks to complete a black-and-white piece on A3 paper using technical pens and graphite; for color works, the time can extend to 2-3 weeks, or even a month. This is not unique to Thanh Nhã; other botanical artists also spend a significant amount of time on identifying the scientific name of the species to be illustrated, researching and reviewing literature about the species for a comprehensive understanding, and creating sketches to discuss with botanists. This is the period that is difficult to quantify and explain to the audience viewing the artwork.
Having expertise in plant research allows Thanh Nhã to significantly shorten the research time and identify key details that distinguish the species being illustrated from similar species. With extensive knowledge and a considerable amount of time spent on plant studies, Thanh Nhã also knows who the leading experts are in the genus or family of plants she wishes to illustrate, allowing for fruitful exchanges and further learning of valuable insights.
Moment from the sharing session
