Selenipedium grande 1885 - 1906

Curator: Immediately striking – like some exotic bird, poised mid-flight. Editor: Indeed! The detail is captivating. What we're observing is Jean Jules Linden’s drawing, "Selenipedium grande," probably created between 1885 and 1906. The medium is coloured pencil, providing a vivid look into the world of botanical illustration during that period. Curator: And how! Those red filaments jutting out, and the carefully graded colour in the petals. Is it my imagination, or does it suggest a Venus figure, a certain fertility icon, rising from verdant stems? Editor: I am compelled to focus on the labour implied by rendering the leaves’ venation with such precision. We’re seeing not only the flower but also, subtly, the context of 19th-century scientific documentation. Consider the access to these orchids, where the pencils were made, and the layers of human activity that brought it to be on display in its own right, as artwork. Curator: True, but the artistic liberties he takes shouldn’t be ignored. He accentuates certain features and mutes others. This orchid form is less about science and more a commentary on the very act of perception; what aspects do we elevate in nature and why? Editor: Precisely; academic art here allows the artist, and, in turn, viewers a form of commerce with, in this case, tropical botany. Think of how many people will never see these orchids. Coloured pencils and watercolour create a vivid access point, almost akin to modern product promotion. Curator: I see a timeless quality as well. There's a sense of harmony, an attempt to capture the essence of growth and vitality that persists across generations. Like many symbols associated with the feminine divine. It evokes themes that predate and go beyond commercial appeal. Editor: Perhaps. It also represents the power of drawing; here is the result of skill, resource extraction, transportation and human desire materialized, rendered into a convincing representation, now appreciated well over a hundred years on. It prompts one to contemplate on production chains in general. Curator: A fascinating way to look at it! It also makes me want to grab my watercolors, though! Editor: A solid reminder that seeing begets a desire to create.