BBC Wildlife & Nature Documentary: Kews Forgotten Queen
COP3 Reflection and Followup Post
A lovely documentary exploring the life and works of amazing victorian botanist and famed botanical illustrator Marian North during the time of female/male inequality.
- Stumbling across this documentary has been lovely as it reflects on exactly what I have been writing about for COP3. Its a great feeling how all of the work I did for that module has given me the knowledge and insight into everything botanical - especially the history and journey of botanical illustration which still influences my practice today.
- As I wrote about in my extended essay - botanical illustration is experiencing a contemporary renaissance and gaining in popularity. The old forgotten greats of this art-form finally making an appearance and gaining the appeal and accolade in museums, exhibitions but also in contemporary illustration circles as well.
- For my COP3 essay, a potential direction of inquiry was to research into botanical illustration and how this has influenced women and female status throughout history. Unfortunately this was not the direction I took, however I hope to explore this avenue in more depth for my own interest as what I had gathered as prep is so amazing
- The ladies emerging during this period in the infancy of illustration, were trying to make their passion their practice.
- Marianne North for instance isn't only influential to my practice because of her beautiful illustrations, but because of her tenacity dedication and stubbornness to succeed at doing what she loved. She defied social convention, rejected marriage and pioneered a life of adventure and creativity - bringing both together to aid in some of the worlds first and largest conservational efforts. Employed by Kew Gardens, London, Marianne's illustrations were not only to educate on what is out there in terms of plant or animal species, but to inspire people to protect the natural world.
- Still super inspired by this subject and like the idea of becoming a woman like North, as I feel her determination is key to her success and I admire that a lot!
Examples of Marianne's Work:
About Marianne North:
- A female botanical illustrator in Victorian times - uncommon
- highly respected for her artwork and her science
- For many women during this period art was a way into the sciences, often studying under their fathers and providing the visual material for scientific publications.
- Employed by Kew Gardens, London where you can still see many her of her original paintings and travel sketches
- North pioneered research for conservation purposes
- Didn't shy away from a challenge:
- - challenging her male peers when confronted about the accuracy of her knowledge and career due to being a 'woman'
- - said sod you all and gathered her own research and reference material for her paintings first hand by travelling across the world, alone, into remote parts of jungle just to paint her floral subject.
- - Not only did North produce many painting and drawings on her long and arduous excursions to the "New World" - South Americas and Asia - she also bought back never-before-seen dried specimens, to be housed in Kew's private herbarium collection.
- Her paintings therefore often provided the most modern record of newly discovered species of plants, helping to contribute to the new science of the time
- A visionary, adventurer, scientist, botanists
- Travelled across 5 continents
- created over 1000 painting
- Thrived as a watercolour artists
- Main subject matter: Huge passion for flowers, landscapes, insects and reptiles
- Her tone of voice // illustrative style emulated her own personality. Did not stick to scientific conventions in terms of what was deemed 'botanically accurate' however were so colourful and accurate that her work was still used as scientific record.
Notes / quotes from the documentary
- Vision impressed the most revolutionary scientists of all time
- For Charles Darwin - Marianne North was able to bring his visionary to life
- to run away into the wild with plants... thats what makes Marianne north an extraordinary painter
- Scientific powerhouse of the British empire
- Kew Gardens - one of the most biodiverse areas on earth.
My COP3 Botanical Illustration Inspired artwork:
