Passion Flowers c. 1945

Elizabeth Saltonstall made this image of passion flowers, in what looks like graphite, on paper. The drawing has a quality of precision, but there is something very sensitive in the line. I’m thinking about what it’s like to draw botanical forms. The artist really looked, really observed the subject. The image has emerged through a laborious process that required patience and control. I can imagine Saltonstall thinking about the long tradition of botanical illustration and how, as an artist, she can bring her own sensibility to the form. I'm struck by the delicate shading of the leaves. Each mark defines the flower's form, capturing its texture and structure. There's an energy that comes from mark-making. In a drawing like this, the accumulation of marks creates the whole. Painters are always responding to other paintings, other artists. Saltonstall’s mark-making here is a sensitive expression and appreciation of nature's beauty.