Karl Blossfeldt: Art Forms in Nature

by Georges Bataille

Karl Blossfeldt (1865-1932) photographed thousands of plants; these are almost never seen from above, but rather from the side, and against a neutral background. This book featuers these images of plants.

Genres: Art, Photography

276 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1994

About the author

French essayist, philosophical theorist, and novelist, often called the "metaphysician of evil." Bataille was interested in sex, death, degradation, and the power and potential of the obscene. He rejected traditional literature and considered that the ultimate aim of all intellectual, artistic, or religious activity should be the annihilation of the rational individual in a violent, transcendental act of communion. Roland Barthes, Julia Kristeva, and Philippe Sollers have all written enthusiastically about his work.