Collected in Time: I 1979

Herman de Vries made this work, Collected in Time: I, by arranging pressed botanical specimens on paper, a little like a herbarium or a naturalist’s journal. There’s an incredible lightness to this work, the way de Vries has isolated the plants against the stark white of the paper. These aren’t paintings but they remind me that process always dictates the final form. The plants look like they’re floating, and the delicacy of the stems and leaves gives the work a fragile, ephemeral quality. I love how the artist presents these plants in a sequence, almost like frames in a film. Look at the first panel on the left; just a tiny, nascent sprout. Then, moving right, we see its gradual unfolding, stage by stage, to the full fern on the far right. I am reminded of Karl Blossfeldt's close-up botanical photography, but also the time-lapse photography of plants growing. It makes you consider nature’s rhythms and cycles. Ultimately, it’s about seeing the beauty in simplicity, and acknowledging the dialogue between art and nature.