Rio Botanical Garden promotes exhibition of botanical illustrations until October 3

Exhibition extended until October 3, 2024.

The National School of Tropical Botany of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden (ENBT) is holding an exhibition of botanical illustrations produced by students and former students who work as botanical artists in various fields. The exhibition, which brings together 35 works in watercolor, ink and graphite techniques, also features work by ENBT professors Paulo Ormindo and Malena Barretto, who have a specialization in Botanical Illustration from the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew in England.

Scientific illustration aims to make a graphic representation of a species with drawings, engravings and paintings, using graphite, ink and watercolor techniques. Despite the existence and improvement of photography, these artistic techniques continue to be used to complement scientific discourse, explain the researcher's theory and disseminate science. Scientific drawing clarifies the text in a visual and direct way, and is mainly used to illustrate dissertations, theses, journals and books.

- Botanical illustrations are visual documents that unite art and science, producing works that serve as records and disseminate the reproduced species and thus contribute to raising awareness of environmental preservation. The drawings and paintings of leaves, flowers and fruit are admired for their beauty and the precision of the details that reveal the richness of plant nature - says Professor Paulo Ormindo.

Since 2002, ENBT has been offering extension courses in botanical illustration, with the intention of qualifying and training illustrators to support botanical research in scientific institutions. Since its creation, ENBT's Botanical Illustration Program has trained and qualified countless professionals, as well as offering volunteer internships as illustrators at the Rio Botanical Garden and other research institutions such as the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The courses are aimed at biology and fine arts students, architects, landscape architects, designers and people interested in learning about plants through the practice of observational drawing.

The exhibition will be open from September 4 to 7 and 16 to 28, from Monday to Saturday, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. ENBT is located at Rua Pacheco Leão, 2040, Horto.