#Tempera on vellum series

Southall's decisive moment came while viewing Two Venetian Ladies by Vittore Carpaccio in the Museo Correr in Venice.

#Tempera on vellum series

There I found myself at 21 years of age face to face with a vast series of frescoes, so quiet and yet so gay, so reticent in manner and so lively in essence that words must ever fail to convey even the faintest expression of what I felt. The thrill of joy which I experienced when, without any knowledge of what I was about to see, I stepped inside the enchanting cloisters of the great Campo Santo of Pisa. The frescoes of Benozzo Gozzoli were to inspire a deep admiration for the painters of the Italian Renaissance who - before the practice of oil painting spread to Italy from Northern Europe in the sixteenth century - worked largely in egg-based tempera. The following year, having left Martin & Chamberlain, he spent thirteen weeks in Italy, visiting Pisa, Florence, Siena, Orvieto, Rome, Bologna, Padua, Venice and Milan. In 1882 he visited Bayeux, Rouen and Amiens in Northern France. With this in mind he undertook several tours in Europe. Southall however was frustrated by his architectural training, feeling that an architect should have a broader understanding of craft disciplines such as painting and carving. Taylor, was a pioneer of Arts and Crafts education and a friend of William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones.

Both institutions were steeped in the spirit of John Ruskin and the Arts and Crafts movement: architect John Henry Chamberlain was a founder and trustee of the Guild of St George, while the Principal of the School of Art, Edward R. Īfter an education at Quaker schools including Ackworth School and Bootham School in York, Southall returned to Birmingham in 1878 and was articled as a trainee with the leading local architects' practice Martin & Chamberlain, while studying painting part-time at the Birmingham School of Art. His father, a pharmacist, died a little over a year later, and the young Southall and his mother moved to Edgbaston, Birmingham to live with his mother's family. “There is much to like in this beautiful guide that covers all the media appropriate to botanical illustration.Joseph Southall was born to a Quaker family in Nottingham in 1861. “There is much to like in this beautiful guide that covers all the media appropriate to botanical illustration.” -The Artist “The top botanical art compendium-a justifiable claim.” -Artists Magazine “This is a hefty tome that also carries with it a considerable weight of authority… however many other books you have, I think it’s fair to say you need this one.” -Art Book Review “This comprehensive work covers the gamut of techniques… clear, numbered illustrations make projects easy to follow and thoughts on composition, scale and using colour will take students from beginner to expert.” -The English Garden “Staggering in scope… engrossing even for a reader who appreciates botanical art but is not an artist.” - The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries “The brand-new standard reference book for botanical art instruction.” - Botanical Art Artists A rose, in short, can be more than a rose.” - Booklist, starred review

“One of the most comprehensive books on botanical illustrations, this also serves as an introduction to a variety of art mediums.” - Library Journal, starred review