Botanical Sketchbook of East and West

As a one of picture book lovers, I am happy as long as many picture book of animals or plants titled “The most beautiful xxx” have been published recently in Japan. The charm is the plant illustration, it catches the veins faithfully and seems to draw vividly up to one of the hair growing on the leaves. For the insects, the detailed description of the captivating eyeballs or delicate touch that dramatically reproduces the iridescent beauty color. I am attracted to the mysterious beauty that appears in the microcosm.

Great museum for picture book lovers is “The Intermediatheque” where is near from Tokyo station Marunouchi exit. The feeling that the heavy and academic atmosphere is very nice as if I entered the university’s laboratory. I saw the current exhibition Special Exhibition“The Art of Natural Science in Sweden — Treasures from Uppsala University”.

It is anniversary year 2018: the 150th Anniversary of Japan–Sweden diplomatic relations. And this presents the world of Natural History which bloomed in 18th-century Sweden, as well as its connections with Japan.

An illustration with high precision and the nature of art is also popular as a botanical art, and some of the original is quite expensive.This exhibition that you can enjoy as academic materials as well as art, and the interesting point is that there is connection with Japan. Swedish botanist Carl Peter Thunberg came to Japan in 1775 and he published “Flora Japonica”. There were also Japanese botanical sketches at the same period displayed together.

The different touch of the plants between East and West scholars with similar feelings and they caught details of the plant and made it an illustration is also exhibit highlight for a picture book lover.

East

West

My favourite Professor Hokusai

*The main picture is a stamp of the Swedish botanist Carl Peter Thunberg with Japanese culture!

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