Art Forms in Nature 59 1928

Karl Blossfeldt made this photograph, "Art Forms in Nature 59," at an unknown date, using I'm guessing his own camera and lens. The image has this incredible precision – look at the way he captures the texture of the plants, the delicate veins in the leaves, and the way the light catches on the surfaces. You can almost feel the plant. It makes you think about artmaking as a process of close observation and careful rendering. There's something so satisfying about the way Blossfeldt uses light and shadow to create depth and form. Think about the way he isolates these plant forms against a blank background, it really makes you focus on the details. The way the image is cropped, gives the plants a monumental quality, like they're ancient sculptures or something. It reminds me a little of the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, in the way they photographed industrial structures with such care and attention to detail. It makes you think about the intersection of art, science, and design.