Informationen zum Autor Karen Azoulay is a Canadian born, Brooklyn-based artist and author whose projects have been featured and reviewed in publications such as the New York Times , New Yorker , Hyperallergic , and Vogue . Azoulay incorporates performance, photography, sculpture and video into her art. She has a fascination with floral symbolism and secret messages are often embedded in her work. Inspired by "feminine" motifs, Azoulay explores cultural phenomena that have historically been overlooked with the purpose of recontextualizing and championing them. Klappentext "Uncover the secret meanings behind your bouquets and floral arrangements with this stunningly illustrated exploration of the Victorian language of flowers, including the multicultural history, rituals, and mythology behind over 600 flowers, herbs, and trees."--Provided by publisher. Leseprobe Introduction It was a crown of orange blossoms that haloed twenty-year-old Queen Victoria on her wedding day. She loved all things floral and was very aware of the hidden meanings they projected. Fluent in the language of flowers, she knew the pale citrus blooms signified chastity, marriage, anddue to the tree's generous trait to bear fruit and flowers simultaneouslyfertility. Early in their marriage, Prince Albert's grandmother gifted the young queen some myrtle, a bloom emblematic of love. Victoria had a cutting of the flower planted, and a sprig of myrtle originating from that bush has been included in every British royal wedding bouquet ever since. One hundred forty-one years later, when twenty-year-old Diana Spencer walked down the aisle to marry Prince Charles, she held a cascading forty-two-inch-long bouquet. Following tradition, it included some of Victoria's love myrtle. The showy floral burst featured many other botanicals, each known for a different sentiment, including ivy (marriage), gardenias (transport of joy), lily of the valley (return of happiness), and veronica (fidelity). Awkwardly tucked in behind all these white flowers, barely visible, were two canary-yellow roses. This variety of Rosa floribunda happened to be named after Lord Mountbatten, Prince Charles's deceased mentor and honorary grandfather. Presumably they were placed in his memory, but yellow roses are also known to signify jealousy and infidelity. Is it going too far to suspect the aggrieved Diana was expressing a complaint she could not yet dare speak aloud? This elaborate form of covert communicationbroadcasting and interpreting emotions embedded in floral arrangementsis the art of floriography. This wildly popular method of cryptologic communication captured the imaginations of many young women during the Victorian era. In the language of flowers, as it was commonly known, each botanical species was assigned a specific emotional sentiment, varying in tone from sweet (ivy geranium gallantly requested, Your hand for the next dance?) to melodramatic ( Viburnum declared, I die if neglected) to downright combative (a dried white rose indicated death preferable to loss of innocence). A thoughtfully curated bouquet delivered a layered poetic memo for the recipient to decipher with the help of an exhaustive dictionary. Hundreds of books documenting the language of flowers were published during the nineteenth century. Once you start looking, you will find that countless secret floral messages have been left for you to discover. In J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first time Professor Snape speaks to Harry, he asks, What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood? Asphodel is a type of lily, meaning my regrets will follow you to the grave, and wormwood represents absence and bitter sorrow, translating to I bitterly regret Lily's death. Think of the coded language of emoji. Like...

Klappentext

Bring fresh meaning to your houseplants, bouquets, and floral arrangements with this stunningly illustrated exploration of the rituals, cultures, and mythology behind 600 flowers, herbs, and trees.
In the Victorian language of flowers, hundreds of blooms were ascribed specific meanings based on mythology, science, and ancient history. Page through this botanical encyclopedia to learn each flower's Victorian meaning (blackberry, for example, represents "envy" while ranunculus boldly states, "I am dazzled by your charms"), common names, and cultural history. There is also an index of the flowers grouped by theme, should you want to challenge your local florist to create a coded message for a loved one. The study of floriography might have readers question why, in Diana Spencer's wedding bouquet, two canary-yellow roses--which signify jealousy and infidelity--were featured. You might share some honeysuckle (meaning "bonds of love") with a friend or partner as a gesture of commitment. Or perhaps you'll choose a celebratory bouquet of angelica ("inspiration") and purple columbine ("resolved to win") for a friend who has triumphed over something difficult. Karen Azoulay pairs vintage botanical drawings with electric photography, creating a one-of-a-kind flower dictionary with a contemporary, artful feel. Flowers and Their Meanings is both a beautiful volume and a practical guide to incorporating the language of flowers into your own life.