Botanica

Botanica, Tom Baril's rare and out of print monograph, showcases exquisite specimens from the botanical realm. The book's printing intricately captures the splendor of Baril's original works, blending Polaroid film with innovative solarizing and toning techniques.

From the publisher: "Tom Baril's floral photographs build on a long tradition of botanical studies. Baril's images visually take us to places once visited by nineteenth-century and modernist practitioners like Adolphe Braun, Man Ray, and Irving Penn. However, Baril distinguishes his own work from that of his forebears by solarizing Polaroid film, and using unique toning techniques.

Botanica is Tom Baril's second monograph and follows his self-titled book from 1997. Botanica reproduces sixty of Baril's flora images in a large format design that echoes the scale of his print, and harkens back to the early illustrated books of the nineteenth century and such classic tomes as the now-legendary Urformen der Kunst (1928) by Karl Blossfeldt."

A graduate of New York’s School of Visual Arts, Tom Baril spent over fifteen years as Robert Mapplethorpe’s master printer. His subjects include urban architecture, seascapes and meticulously detailed botanical and nature photographs. Baril’s work demonstrates a command of technique that results from his extensive experience as a master printer. Baril developed a unique toning process that enriches the color and opulence of his photographs.

Baril has enjoyed numerous solo exhibitions worldwide, and his work is in collections from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum among others. Two monographs have been published on his work, Botanica (Arena Editions, 2000); and the highly acclaimed 1997 self-titled monograph published by 4AD.