27 December 2022 — 19 March 2023
Location :
Main building / Floor 2 / Gallery
Location:
Main building / Floor 2 / Second floor hall
We invite
visitors to the museum «to plunge into the summer» and get acquainted with an
interesting natural phenomenon – the daily biorhythms of plants. It turns out
that it can help a person navigate in time. Visitors will see the images of
these flowers at the exhibition, which presents 30 drawings and works of
decorative and applied art created by artists of the Russian Society of
Amateurs of Botanical Illustration.
Did you
know that plants also «sleep»? On a sunny summer day outside the city we admire
the magnificent herbs like blue bells, dark pink carnations, white daisies,
yellow buttercups, blue forget-me-nots, violet geranium flowers. It’s curious
to find out that there are plants, the flowers of which close in the evening as
if it is following the exact «schedule». It gives way to less bright but more
aromatic midnight plants like «night violet» lesser butterfly-orchid or jasmine
tobacco.
«Dream of
Flowers» - so Carl Linnaeus called this amazing natural phenomenon. Observing
the biorhythms of plants, Swedish natural scientist and «King of Botanists» has
noticed a repetitive pattern in their flowering and proposed his discovery to
be used in creation of so-called flower clock. In clear weather «Flora clock»
allowed to determine the time of day with the accuracy of an hour. However, it
did not receive practical application. The creation of the flower clock proved
to be troublesome - its accuracy depends heavily on terrain, climate and
weather. Linnaeus' followers developed the topic he had begun, and over the
years the small list of plants grew many times over. Especially since for each
area it can be compiled individually.
Drawings of
artists of the Russian Society of Amateurs of Botanical Illustration will
acquaint viewers with plants that can serve as «living clock» in the middle of
Russia. They will see chicory, dandelion, rosehip, marigold, field clove, lilac
and even common potatoes! These plants can be found in the wild, and in the
garden, as well as in urban forest park areas. The exposition will allow not
only to enjoy in detail the aesthetics and beauty of the “living clock” but
also to trace this complex natural mechanism with the example of plants that
they grow in their backyards. As part of the exhibition there are master
classes and botanical talks on the topic “Dialogue between flower and artist”.
Anna
Tolstikova. Shawl "Flower clock". 2018 Printing on silk
Prokhorova
Alexandra. Field bindweed. 2022
Anna
Polinskaya. White water lily (Nymphaea alba). 2022 Paper, liners
Svetlana
Chernysheva. Orange day-lily (Hemerocallis fulva). 2021 Watercolor on paper
Irina
Ivanova. Dandelion (Taraxacum). 2022 Colored paper, gouache, watercolor
