Greenhouses: Cathedrals for Plants - Hardcover

by Werner Pawlok (Author)

Botanical gardens represent people's centuries-old fascination with exotic plants. Werner Pawlok has photographically explored special tropical greenhouses within Europe and shows us here his most beautiful pictures in his usual colorfully expressive manner - from the Palm House in the Botanical Garden in Copenhagen, to Kew Gardens in London, and the Great Palm House at Schönbrunn. The scent of the warm earth and the breath of the plants can almost be felt when looking at the large-format and colorful pictures. Fascinating interplays of color allow the filigree architecture of famous master builders and the impressive plants to shine in a special light. Pawlok, self-taught and intuitive photographer, captures these magical places in a fascinating way. Each photo is a work of art in itself. Interesting texts about the cultural history of greenhouses, from the simple wooden construction to the efficient glass dome, accompany this extraordinary photo book. Let yourself be inspired by Pawlok's high-end photographs and embark on a nostalgic journey. As Pawlok himself puts it: "Being allowed to enter these wonderful glass palaces and explore their green-scented, tropical interiors with my camera felt like an expedition into the heart of the 19th century." Text in English and German.

Author Biography

Werner Pawlok, born in Stuttgart in 1953, founded the first photo gallery in southern Germany in 1980. In the late eighties, his work gained great recognition through his participation in group exhibitions with works by Warhol, Richter, Mapplethorpe and Polke. His well-known works include his 50 x 60 cm Polaroids as well as his unconventional fashion and celebrity photographs of John Malkovich, Dennis Hopper or Juliette Binoche. Whether he portrays writers from Siri Hustvedt to Salman Rushdie to Jonathan Franzen - as in the series Faces of Literature - or traces the spirit of the abandoned Ford factories in New Orleans - Pawlok's works have a very individual character and exert a great attraction on his viewers. As a self-taught artist, Werner Pawlok has developed a style over decades that lies beyond the mainstream and has led to worldwide recognition of his works in museums, galleries and among collectors. His visual language is characterized by the search for constantly new visual ideas and possibilities of expression.