Centaurea macrocephala
1928
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1928
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This is a close-up black-and-white photo of a dried flower head. The stem is thick and rough, splitting near the base. The flower itself looks like a spiky ball of seeds or buds, all pressed tightly together. The artist took real plants and turned them into detailed pictures using a printing method called photogravure. This means they etched the image onto metal plates first, then printed it—kind of like a fancy, old-school photo. If you like this kind of super-detailed plant art, look up Blossfeldt, Karl.
