The artwork of the week is Memories (mixed media engraving on handmade paper, 56 x 77 cm) by Atena Elena Simionescu. Her elegant works on handmade paper convey calm and

A brief history of botanical illustrations
Since classical times botanists, pharmacists and physicians have used drawings to analyze and classify plants. The illustrations appear together with detailed descriptions of the plants. From 1740–1840, in the great period of exploration and discovery the development of scientific botany advanced rapidly. The interest in finding new species increased. At the beginning
of the 19th century the development of photography  influenced the decline interest in natural history.

At the beginning of the 80s botanical art experienced a resurgence that continues today. Why the current renaissance of botanical art? An interest in the environment, increasing
popularity of gardening and the wish to be more connected with the natural world. ©A.D.