Sarah Petruziello
The Botanicae Amatorius paintings and drawings originate from my interest in nature and the great illustrated scientific flora and fauna books of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Artists such as Maria Sibylla Merian and Alexander Marshal had the inquisitiveness of scientists and their work sought to accurately document and explore the natural world. As artists their craftsmanship and attention to color, detail and design was ever present.
The Botanicae is not a study of flowers, rather the flowers are a catalyst for a study of physical and psychological desire. While many flowers are erotically suggestive, it is often easy to forget that flowers are indeed sexual organs with the purpose to attract and accomplish reproduction. This series of works seeks to anthropomorphize flower forms, with a touch of humor and overtly erotic imagery.
The finished paintings in the Botanicae series are executed in gouache on calfskin parchment, a traditional medium for the early artists of scientific illustration.