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Macoto Murayama’s Computer-generated Illustrations of Flowers

Flowers are a triumph of evolution unlike any other organism on the planet, a riddle that haunted father of evolutionary theory Charles Darwin for years. With so many kinds flourishing in every corner of the earth, from the breathtakingly beautiful to simply weird, they seemed to defy natural selection, the foundation of his work. In the spirit of Darwin's botanical studies, Japanese artist Macoto Murayama attempts to unlock the beauty and genetics of flowers in his incredible computer-generated illustrations.

Flowers are a triumph of evolution unlike any other organism on the planet, a riddle that haunted father of evolutionary theory Charles Darwin for years. With so many kinds flourishing in every corner of the earth, from the breathtakingly beautiful to simply weird, they seemed to defy natural selection, the foundation of his work. In the spirit of Darwin’s botanical studies, Japanese artist Macoto Murayama attempts to unlock the beauty and genetics of flowers in his incredible computer-generated illustrations. With scientific precision, he maps out their organic structures, first beginning with studies from real specimens like sun flowers and Yoshino cherry, which he dissects with a scalpel and observes with a magnifying glass, then sketches and photographs, and finally recreates in 3ds Max (3DCG software) and Photoshop. Each digital illustration is scrutinized and labeled with details like the plant’s measurements, parts names, and scale. Though highly technical, there is a certain element of romanticism and fantasy about his images that allow us to appreciate these intricacies of nature that represent over billions of years of life- a tiny fraction of the overwhelming measure of the universe.

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