Karl Blossfeldt "Wundergarten der Nature"

Karl Blossfeldt is a hero of mine. He was a professor at the "Universität der Künst" here in Charlottenburg about a hundred years ago, and he didn't consider himself an artist or a photographer, but rather took photos of weeds he collected on the outskirts of Berlin to use as subject material in the University.

So he worked for decades teaching students how they could learn about architecture and art just by studying plants, and then Nierendorf, a gallerist from the opposite side of the Hardenbergstraße where he was teaching, went and organized an exhibition for Blossfeldt, who was already 61.

Two years later Blossfeldt's book 'Urformen der Kunst' was published, and he became famous overnight. His second book 'Wundergarten der Nature' was published in 1932, and he died on the ninth of December of the same year.

I admire how unassuming he was. He wasn't interested in becoming recognized for what he had done, he just wanted to take good pictures of plants.