Karl Blossfeldt
Urformen der Kunst (Art Forms in Nature)
Karl Blossfeldt (1865 - 1932)
Karl Blossfeldt was a german photographer, sculptor, artist and teacher and is most well known for his close up images of botanical life, such as plants. Blossfeldt was inspired by nature and the way in which plants grow, he also felt that 'the plant must be valued as a totally artistic and architectural structure'. Karl's style of placing the plant in front of a simple background to enhance the plant's features, such as seeds, stem or buds. Karl's photographs magnify the detail in which plants artistic surfaces show patterns in natures texture and forms.
Born on June 13th 1865, Karl Blossfeldt spent a lot of his childhood in the Harz Mountains in central Germany. After his apprenticeship in sculpture and iron casting at the Art Ironworks and Foundry in Magdesprung, attending on scholarship, he began studies at the Institute of Royal Arts Museum in Berlin. During this time Blossfledt started collecting plant forms to use as models for a drawing class, he would then eventually use these same forms as subjects for his photography. Blossfeldt created a selection of plant photographs of which he intended to use to teach his students and to inspire them with natural form. Appointed a teaching post at the Institute of Royal Arts Museum in 1898 (where he stayed for 32 years), he established an archive for his photographs. Blossfeldt never had any formal training in photography; even his camera of choice was homemade and specifically designed to magnify the subject at hand.
Karl Blossfeldt was a german photographer, sculptor, artist and teacher and is most well known for his close up images of botanical life, such as plants. Blossfeldt was inspired by nature and the way in which plants grow, he also felt that 'the plant must be valued as a totally artistic and architectural structure'. Karl's style of placing the plant in front of a simple background to enhance the plant's features, such as seeds, stem or buds. Karl's photographs magnify the detail in which plants artistic surfaces show patterns in natures texture and forms.
Born on June 13th 1865, Karl Blossfeldt spent a lot of his childhood in the Harz Mountains in central Germany. After his apprenticeship in sculpture and iron casting at the Art Ironworks and Foundry in Magdesprung, attending on scholarship, he began studies at the Institute of Royal Arts Museum in Berlin. During this time Blossfledt started collecting plant forms to use as models for a drawing class, he would then eventually use these same forms as subjects for his photography. Blossfeldt created a selection of plant photographs of which he intended to use to teach his students and to inspire them with natural form. Appointed a teaching post at the Institute of Royal Arts Museum in 1898 (where he stayed for 32 years), he established an archive for his photographs. Blossfeldt never had any formal training in photography; even his camera of choice was homemade and specifically designed to magnify the subject at hand.