Disziplinierung der Pflanzen
Bildvorlagen zwischen Ästhetik und Zweck
[Disciplinization of Plants. Pedagogical Models between Aesthetics and Purpose]

In the second half of the 19th century, plants emerged as a source of ideas for artistic form. However, the cultural significance of the pictorial models circulating in art schools and in the arts and crafts has rarely been investigated. This book contributes to the theory and history of pictorial models of plants and for the first time situates them in a broader cultural and historical context. The imagery of plants thus unfolds at the intersection of botany and aesthetics. Moreover, notions of cultural renewal linked to the constant rhythm of the plant’s germination, growth and blossoming, as well as the political instrumentalization of flora through categories of the indigenous and the national come into view. The aesthetic and scientific, political and technical disciplinization of plant life can be traced down to the present day.