horse chestnut twigs in close-up look like totem poles

Horse Chestnut Twigs in Close-Up

It’s time for us to share another piece of garden-related art.  As you know, we’re looking at a different photograph each month by the renowned German artist Karl Blossfeldt.  This one shows horse chestnut twigs in close-up.  Do they remind you of anything?  Have a think and see if you agree with us at the end of this post.

If you want to find out more about Blossfeldt’s work and biography, you can look at the  Karl Blossfeldt Wikipedia Page.   Alternatively, look back in this blog to January, where our First Blossfeldt Blog Post gives more details about him.  However, it should be enough to say that his photographs were the first of their kind.  Blossfeldt worked as a sculpture tutor at a Berlin art school in Germany during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  He wanted students to appreciate the details of natural forms that usually went unnoticed.  He made his own cameras so that he could take pictures at a level of magnification never seen before.  This meant that the architectural and structural qualities of the plant forms became visible, and hopefully inspired the sculpture students.

Looking at this particular photograph, of horse chestnut twigs in close up, we were reminded of something.  Does anyone else see the totem pole resemblance?  We can see little faces in the twigs!  Still, whether you see them or not, we’re sure you can appreciate the way Blossfeldt makes us consider plants in new detail.  If you have a Rosewood irrigation system, you’ll have plenty of extra time to just relax in your garden and enjoy it.  While you’re out there, why not take the time to look at the small miracles all around?  Nature really is the greatest artist!