[LJ2ME] Answering Nature's Call
Spent the better part of the morning at the National Museum of Singapore catching "Empire of Nature: The William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings" in its last week.
The collection, dating from the early 19th century, was commissioned by William Farquhar, one of the founding fathers of Singapore, perhaps better known for how rude his name sounds when stressed in the wrong places and overshadowed by the other white guy with hotels and schools named for him.
Am unable to speak with authority on the art, save for the degree of attention to detail, and how most were executed with such skill that the flora and fauna seemed three-dimensional, where feathers and fins and fronds were textured and layered, inviting one to reach out and touch and feel the illusion, if not for the glass panels separating art and audience.
It's the first time the entire collection of all 477 (yes... I counted them... twice...) drawings has been displayed in a single setting and it is an apt nod to the 120th birthday of the Museum. Seeing the collection in its entirety allowed the breadth and depth of this endeavour and project by Farquhar to be fully appreciated and enjoyed.
So that's one down, so what are the other 10 national treasures of the Museum?
The collection, dating from the early 19th century, was commissioned by William Farquhar, one of the founding fathers of Singapore, perhaps better known for how rude his name sounds when stressed in the wrong places and overshadowed by the other white guy with hotels and schools named for him.
Am unable to speak with authority on the art, save for the degree of attention to detail, and how most were executed with such skill that the flora and fauna seemed three-dimensional, where feathers and fins and fronds were textured and layered, inviting one to reach out and touch and feel the illusion, if not for the glass panels separating art and audience.
It's the first time the entire collection of all 477 (yes... I counted them... twice...) drawings has been displayed in a single setting and it is an apt nod to the 120th birthday of the Museum. Seeing the collection in its entirety allowed the breadth and depth of this endeavour and project by Farquhar to be fully appreciated and enjoyed.
So that's one down, so what are the other 10 national treasures of the Museum?