Spring starts in September, and in honour of the new season, a special exhibition of amazing art is adorning the walls of the Ferdinand Postma Library on the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU).
Artworks of flowers are everywhere. Not of the common or garden variety of blossoms, but of some of South Africa’s most special and – in some cases – rare and endangered veld orchid species.
“We wanted to make spring extra special at the library this year, and what better way is there than to not only showcase some of nature’s most beautiful specimens, but also to exhibit an award-winning collection at the same time?” says Adri Jansen, librarian for special collections.
The special collection of indigenous orchids and insect pollinator interactions is from the brush of Daleen Roodt, award-winning botanical artist. At the Chelsea Flower Show in London earlier this year, Daleen received the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Gold Medal and her work was selected both as the Best Artwork on Show and for the People’s Choice Award.
Other accolades include receiving bronze (2010) and silver (2013) medals at the Kirstenbosch Biennale, as well as a bronze medal at the 21st International Orchid Conference in 2014.
The NWU spring exhibition, titled “Botanical art: a painting parallel from the past to the present”, is being presented as a collaboration between the NWU Library’s special collections, the NWU Gallery and the Art History subject group. “It is an amazing collection and so heartwarming to see the reactions of students and staff as they experience it,” says Adri.
The exhibition also offers a bird’s eye view of the historical botanical art of Jakob and Johann Phillip Breyne in the 1600s and Sir John Herschel in the 1800s, up to Daleen’s work of the 2000s. “We are very grateful to the Brenthurst Library,” she says, referring to the private library built by the late Harry Oppenheimer. “They made photos of Breyne’s and Herschel’s work digitally available to us.”
Art that not only thrills but also preserves
Daleen is a self-taught botanical artist who currently resides in Hillcrest in KwaZulu-Natal. She started her artistic career in 2008 as a freelance scientific illustrator for the University of Pretoria and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and has since developed her career to specialise in indigenous orchids.
Her work appears in the Grootbos Florilegium*, held in the Hannarie Wenhold Botanical Art Gallery.
Daleen says she has a passion for painting outdoors and portraying scenes in situ (in the original place and natural habitat).
“Pursuing art as a career can hold many challenges. But the natural beauty that is discovered in the process, the acquaintance with the intricacies and harmony of nature’s complex interactions, brings me to a place of reverence where I feel deeply privileged to be able to capture and – in a sense – preserve the knowledge of the plants.”
She believes that her work also plays an important role in preserving and raising awareness about orchids. “Botanical art is a scientifically correct form of art, where accuracy is essential. But over and above that, I try to communicate not only their beauty, but also the encounter with the plants in their natural environment, and to draw the viewer closer into this experience,” Daleen says.
“To have my work exhibited in an academic environment is a great honour and privilege, and I am very grateful for the opportunity. For the past decade or so there has been an incredible resurgence in what is referred to as the ‘New Golden Age’ of botanical art. I am so grateful to be part of this movement and to experience the recognition.”
During her visit to the NWU, Daleen also presented a special lecture on the art and science of botanical painting to Art History students.
This special exhibition can be seen until the end of this year and is spread throughout the library’s premises.
For more information about the exhibition, contact Adri at adri.jansen@nwu.ac.za.
*The Grootbos Florilegium is a unique collection of botanical illustrations by a collaboration of local and international artists. The collection portrays the rare, endangered and charismatic plants found in the Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and surrounding regions.
Adri Jansen, Kgoitsemang Catherine Ramafoko (library intern) and Daleen Roodt with some of Daleen’s works that are on display in the library. The art behind them shows the Disa pulchra and Watsonia lepida with a horsefly (Philoliche aethiopica.
Daleen says this watercolour illustration of the Eulophia horsfallii and Dissotis princeps with carpenter bees is part of a limited edition of prints.
Daleen Roodt has a passion for preserving the beauty of orchids through her botanical illustrations.
