Karl Blossfeldt

The publication of his book Urformen der Kunst (Art Forms in Nature) in September 1928 suddenly made Karl Blossfeldt (1865- 1932) one of the most important photographers of the early 20th century. His importance in the history of photography is undisputed. Yet the sculptor, modeller and caster originally used photography for quite different purposes. It served as teaching material for the students of his "plant modeling" classes in Berlin. It was with this aim in mind that he began systematically building up his photographic oeuvre in 1898, dedicated entirely to the world of flora. By the year 1932, he had produced more than 6000 photographs, all following the same process of isolating the plants against a neutral studio background and photographing them at close range. This objectifying method revealed an artistic potential of its own, as such concentration permitted an appreciation of the primordial beauty and diversity of nature.