Florilegium

Florilegium


Starring:Florilegium
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
A rich mixture of art, history, science and exploration, this film traces the first voyages of Joseph Banks, who, as a young botanist, accompanied Captain James Cook on his first journey of circumnavigation. With fellow botanist Carl Daniel Solander, he collected over seven hundred unknown species of plants, which were recorded in drawings by Sydney Parkinson. Banks' intention to publish a complete set of engravings of these plants was not realized in his lifetime, and it was not until two hundred years later, with the largest direct printing project ever undertaken in the history of the Fine Arts, that Joseph Banks' "Florilegium" came to fruition.
Florilegium
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Superb
  • I Wish It Was Longer
 Florilegium
Starring: Florilegium
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006674N
Release Date: 2002-06-11

Description

A rich mixture of art, history, science and exploration, this film traces the first voyages of Joseph Banks, who, as a young botanist, accompanied Captain James Cook on his first journey of circumnavigation. With fellow botanist Carl Daniel Solander, he collected over seven hundred unknown species of plants, which were recorded in drawings by Sydney Parkinson. Banks' intention to publish a complete set of engravings of these plants was not realized in his lifetime, and it was not until two hundred years later, with the largest direct printing project ever undertaken in the history of the Fine Arts, that Joseph Banks' "Florilegium" came to fruition.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Superb.......2007-02-14

A little old and without any extras, but a rare treasure. Great documentary for those interested in the history of botany, Banks, Cook or publishing rarities.

3 out of 5 stars I Wish It Was Longer.......2003-01-17

This documentary is telling two stories. The first is the voyage of Cook with the botanist Banks and the artist Parkinson around the world, becoming along the way the first Europeans to visit Australia. The second story is the laborious project of printing a hand-made "authentic" edition of the art work from this voyage, using the original copper plates that were fashioned 200 hundred years ago but never used (for some mysterious reason). Both stories are interesting and deserve more time. The format of the documentary cuts back and forth between the tale of the voyage and an explanation of the printing process. Sea paintings and contemporary (1984) footage from the visited cities, with indigenous music and the animated line on a map, accompany Robert Hughes's narration of the voyage. The printing project is explained with interviews and film clips of the process and Robert Hughes's narration. This printing project is flabbergasting in scope: I think it was supposed to take 10 years to finish, each set of the prints will fill 36 boxes that would stack up to approximately 15 feet, all the prints meticulously hand done. Robert Hughes is so damn erudite that it is always interesting to hear what he has to say. The DVD is worth viewing, if the subject matter is to your liking, although it leaves you wanting more.

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