REDOUTÉ: Celebrating Botanical Illustration

We invite you  learn about one of the most prolific botanical artists of the French 18th and early 19th Century Pierre-Joseph Redouté. Scroll down to also view our Flower Power Guide linking you to Exhibitions and Event showcasing floral Artworks.

Rosa Gallica Maheka, From: Les Roses

Pierre-Joseph Redouté

Redouté (1759-1840) is unquestionably the best-known botanical illustrator of any era. The decorative appeal of his original engravings has led to their modern reproduction, which in turn has popularized Redouté’s work in a way unique among botanical artists. Yet no reproduction can capture the great and subtle beauty of his original engravings from Les Roses, nor can any introductory paragraph fully describe his many achievements. These magnificent engravings demonstrate the full mastery of his abilities, as the forms of the roses are set off dramatically by Redouté’s masterful and rich modulations of tone and hue.

Iris Patensis From Redouté's other acclaimed series Les Liliacees

The regal simplicity of the compositions allows the viewer to focus without distraction on the beauty and delicate complexity of the plants themselves. Perhaps better than any other engravings that the artist ever made, these three images demonstrate the flawless and pristine French style of botanical art that Redouté pioneered and brought to a pinnacle of quality. The luminosity of stipple engraving, a technique perfected by Redouté, is particularly suited to the reproduction of botanical detail. The medium involved engraving a copper plate with a dense grid of dots that could be modulated to convey delicate gradations of color.

FLOWER POWER GUIDE

Various museums in San Francisco are showcasing amazing botanical artwork as an homage to the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, celebrating Flower Power as major themes of Peace, Love, and Community. We also added some exhibitions abroad for those traveler's this summer!  

Flower Exhibitions and Events:

Asian Art Museum

Floral Artwork of the Buddhist tradition

San Francisco Fall Antique Show

The largest west coat annual Antique show will host antique dealer, art galleries, and designers showcasing works with a floral themes in mind. 

Garden of Shakespeare's Flowers, Golden Gate Park
Flowers and plants played an important tool for Shakespeare's plays, here you can see many of those flowers he mentioned in his writing.
Musee de la Vie Romantique
Showcasing the works of Redouté  from his Roses to the Lillies
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Look out for a future exhibition which will showcase our own collection of the Raphael of Flowers, Redouté!

For Inquiries Please Contact us at (415) 788-5115, or Visit us at 432 Jacskson St. San Francisc, Ca 94111. Aradersf.com

The Lords of the Samurai exhibition at The Asian Art Museum

Japanese Watercolors of Irises from the Collection of Arader Galleries

The Lords of the Samurai is an exhibition not to be missed at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. This fascinating exhibition takes an intimate look at the daimyo, or provincial lords of the warrior class in feudal Japan. More than just professional warriors, Japanese samurai of the highest rank were also visionaries who strove to master artistic, cultural, and spiritual pursuits.

The exhibition features more than 160 works from the Hosokawa family collection housed in the Eisei-Bunko Museum in Tokyo, and from Kumamoto Castle and the Kumamoto Municipal Museum in Kyushu. Objects on view include suits of armor, armaments (including swords and guns), formal attire, calligraphy, paintings, tea wares, lacquerware, masks, and musical instruments.

The Arader Galleries team was particularly interested to see a beautiful album of Japanese watercolors of irises in the exhibition. In fact, we have recently received for inventory a set of delicately rendered 19th century Japanese watercolors very similar to the iris watercolors in this exhibition! The iris is a symbol of high importance in Japanese culture, and during the Edo period in Japan there was a renaissance of iris cultivation.

Please stop by the 435 Jackson Street location of Arader Galleries in San Francisco to see these extraordinary watercolors, or call us at 415.788.5115 to request a copy of our “The Japanese Iris” catalog.

Also, this is your last chance to see The Lords of Samurai at the Asian Art Museum, the exhibition closes on September 20th!