The topic of the master’s thesis deals with the scientific illustration of plants and insects. The aim is to preserve the memory of plants and to call for the protection and dissemination of awareness of the cooperation and impact we have on the environment. Art, more precisely, scientific illustration, can also help to preserve their memory. In the past, various plants could only be imagined from descriptions or sketches, as they did not have the opportunity to see them live. The depicted samples could in the future serve as documentary material for today`s ecological conditions and eating habits.
In the selection of plants, after consulting with experts in the field of botany, I decided on nine plants that are according to The Food and Agriculture Organization the world`s most important for nutrition: coffee, oil palm, soybeans, banana, rice, sugar cane, potatoes, wheat, and corn; and are attacked by at least one pest.
The theoretical section of the master`s thesis relates to the fields of scientific botanical illustration, scientific illustration of insects and calligraphy, and explores methods of plant conservation throughout history and the importance of their depiction in the context of scientific illustration.
The practical part includes a more detailed research of plants and insects from the list, the production of an illustrative herbarium in the form of a book with attached illustrations of the plants and pests, equipped with calligraphy. In possible cases, in addition to the illustrations, plants are prepared according to the procedures in making a herbarium, otherwise only the sample illustrations are provided alongside the pest illustrations.
Regarding the target group, I believe that such a herbarium would be an effective learning tool and would be interesting for fans of scientific illustration and botany, as well, for a wider circle of readers.
|
