Plants Have Their Own Essence: Selected Natural History Illustrations by Zeng Xiaolian

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Everyone can observe with their eyes, listen with their ears, touch with their fingers, and smell or taste with their nose and mouth—experiencing the beauty of nature through their own senses. Some collect fallen leaves, feathers, or seashells; others capture light and shadow with cameras… And then there are those who pick up a paintbrush. With reverence for the mysteries of life and evolution, they meticulously observe and depict species and their environments, creating natural history illustrations.

Zeng Xiaolian is one such outstanding natural history painter. Over a lifetime of portraying plants and landscapes, his brush has witnessed both the rise and decline of China’s scientific illustration field, as well as the journey of natural history from obscurity to revival. No matter how the world changed, he remained devoted to his craft, exploring the intersection of art and science on paper and opening new horizons in natural history.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

The Ptolemy Museum was established in 2021 as the first professional museum in Greater China with the theme of "astronomy + geography + natural history". Its collection spans artifacts from the 7th century to the modern era, covering diverse civilizations such as China, Greece, Islam, Egypt, Maya, and India. Through dialogues between Eastern and Western scientific traditions, the museum reveals the commonalities of human wisdom, and through the fusion of science and art, we illuminate the brilliance of humanistic spirit.