A couple years ago, I stumbled across Heteroptera, a book of Cornelia Hesse-Honegger's work, at a used bookstore. It was a surprise in several ways, chiefly that it's the type of used bookstore that rarely has art books featuring work newer than 1945, let alone contemporary illustration. Hesse-Honegger has been a huge inspiration to me ever since. Not only are her watercolors gorgeous and delicate and of insects (some of my favorite subject matter!) but she's also found a way to use her precise, scientific illustrations to make political statements. Browse her website for more info on how her work chronicles and illuminates environmental changes due to proximity to nuclear power plants.
I did not know about her political statements at all, I've just seen her excellent drawings.
ReplyDeleteThe environmental background gives these images a dark edge.