Marianne North

BBC News has released another excellent audio slideshow by Paul Kerley, this one to mark the reopening of the Marianne North Gallery in Kew Gardens, London, with a voiceover by Kate Aide. Marianne North, an adventurous Victorian lady, travelled the world to paint botanical specimens in their natural habitats. So her beautiful paintings include landscapes as well as exotic flowers. Even using a camera, most contemporary artists couldn't produce work of this high quality, because plants don't grow artistically. It takes a true artist to create elegantly balanced proportions, as shown in the above painting Ipomoea and Vavangue with Mahe Harbour in the distance. Click the title link for Paul Kerley's audio slideshow. CLICK for the Marianne North Online Gallery. CLICK for my 2008 post on art at Kew Gardens.