Reference note:
Arion Press’s 'Temple of Flora' features twenty-eight large-scale, black-and-white drypoints and engravings by the American painter and printmaker Jim Dine, which were designed to complement a series of poems and botanical notes selected by the book’s editors. It was inspired by the original Temple of Flora published in 1807 by the English physician and botanist Dr. Robert John Thornton (1765-1837). Thornton had paired oversized colour plates of flowers, set in dramatic landscapes, with inspirational poetry and notes on flower lore and legend. For his illustrations, Dine used a number of unconventional cutting tools such as electric drills and grinders to achieve linear variation and subtle shifts in tone, ranging from soft greys to deep blacks.

Exhibition notes:
Item 8 on Artists' Books in the Ginsberg Collection, with some South African Books from Other Collections. Johannesburg Art Gallery.25 August to 27 October 1996

Gaia: Dialogue between the book arts, natural sciences & plant humanities. JBCBA, WAM. Curated by David Paton & Ciara Struwig. 16 September – 12 December 2025

Ref: GB/12249