Achillea clypeolata
1928
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
photogravure
Dimensions
image/plate: 26 × 19 cm (10 1/4 × 7 1/2 in.) sheet: 31.2 × 24.2 cm (12 5/16 × 9 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon and Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2006.133.34.119
Art Historical Context
Karl Blossfeldt's *Achillea clypeolata* (1928) captures the intricate beauty of a yarrow plant through his signature magnified photography, transforming humble botany into sculptural art. A pioneering German photographer and sculptor (1865–1932), Blossfeldt spent decades crafting custom cameras to enlarge plant specimens up to 30 times their natural size, revealing hidden structural wonders that inspired architects and artists alike. This photogravure print, from his landmark book *Urformen der* (*Art Forms in Nature*), his New Objectivity style, emphasizing precise, objective observation whil...
About the Artist
Karl Blossfeldt
Karl Blossfeldt (1865–1932), born in the rural village of Schielo near Germany's Harz Mountains, began his artistic journey as a sculptor. At age sixteen, he apprenticed at the Art Ironworks and Foundry in Mägdesprung, honing skills in casting and modeling that would inform his lifelong fascination with form and structure. He later studied at the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin, the School of the Mus...