The visual style of those 18th and 19th century botanical illustrations you see in antique shops and old books feel oddly modern, don’t they? Part of this has to do with the preponderance of infographics in our media right now, but it could also be timelessness — those old botanical illios are as useful as they are indicative of the ongoing mystery and wildness of the natural world. That seems to be something at play in the work of MF Cardamone, where that old look gets a surrealist twist that also feels very much up to date, too. Cardamone, who studied at the Barnes Foundation Arboretum School, makes these pieces out mixed media on watercolor paper, and from now through the end of July, they’ll be on view at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s McLean Library.
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is presenting an exhibition, “A New American Botanical: The Whimsical Art of MF Cardamone,” in the PHS McLean Library, 20th and Arch Streets, through July 29. Reception, Tues., June 7, 6-8pm.
