‘Ocean Flowers’ At YCBA

NEW HAVEN — This summer the Yale Center for British Art is presenting a groundbreaking exhibition tracing the development of early photography — and artistic processes in the 19th Century — in the context of natural history illustration.

“Ocean Flowers: Impressions from Nature in the Victorian Era,” on view through August 8, focuses on a period of tremendous advances in natural sciences and graphic media. The exhibition features more than 300 illustrations showcasing the fertile exchange between different types of graphic media, including conventional drawings, “nature prints” (direct imprints from plants), hand colored prints, mounted specimens and “photogenic drawings” (photographs made without a camera).

Organized by The Drawing Center in association with Yale Center for British Art, “Ocean Flowers” was curated by Carol Armstrong and Catherine DeZegher.

The vast majority of works on view were created in 19th Century England during a time of heightened scientific inquiry and expanding knowledge. There was an appetite for invention and innovation as scientists sought to discover different ways of understanding the natural world. Charles Darwin published his Origin of Species in 1859, and science — particularly natural history — demanded authenticity in depicting specimens. “Ocean Flowers” illustrates the diversity and fluidity of media that made these representations possible.

The centerpiece comprises the drawings and photograms of the British artist Anna Atkins (1799-1871) and her contemporaries. Atkins was the first person to create a book of botanical illustrations printed exclusively with photographic techniques.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog, co-published by The Drawing Center and Princeton University Press.

Special events related to this exhibition include free exhibition tours on Saturday, June 19, at noon, and Tuesday, June 22, at 11 am; an Art in Context discussion, also on June 22, at 12:30 pm, led by Professor Michael Donoghue from The Peabody Museum of Natural History; and an exhibition tour at noon on Saturday, June 26.

The museum, at 1080 Chapel Street, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday, noon to 5 pm. For  information call 203-432-2853. or visit www.yale.edu/ycba.