Helen Fowler O\u2019Gorman (1904-1984) grew up in Wisconsin but graduated in fine arts and architecture from the University of Washington.\u00a0 She began her career as sculptor and went to Mexico in 1940 to continue her studies with painter Diego Rivera.\u00a0 He encouraged her to concentrate on painting and over the next two decades, she developed a passion for illustrating the native and garden plants of her adopted country, leading to the publication of \u201cMexican Flowering Trees and Plants\u201d in 1961.<\/p>\n
At the time of their meeting, Rivera was married to painter Frida Kahlo.\u00a0 Together, they lived in a house designed by the Irish-Mexican architect (and painter) Juan O\u2019Gorman, Helen\u2019s future husband.\u00a0 Together, the O\u2019Gormans designed and built Casa Cueva, their home and landscape that partially encompassed a natural cave.<\/p>\n
Helen O\u2019Gorman\u2019s book demonstrates not only her skill as a painter, but in the text her knowledge of Mexican botany and horticulture.\u00a0 She was particularly interested in the gardening heritage of the Aztecs and other pre-Hispanic peoples.\u00a0 \u201cInnumerable plants were sacred to the Aztecs and certain flowers were set aside by the priests for religious rituals.\u201d<\/p>\n
While she includes the ethnobotanical uses of plants for food, medicines, and dyes, she emphasizes the passion these civilizations had to grow flowers for ornamental purposes and as perfumes.\u00a0 The latter use was considered especially important for reducing fatigue or providing a mild stimulant.\u00a0 This practice was picked up by the conquering Spanish, a fact O\u2019Gorman discovered in a surviving administration document on the \u201ctreatment of the weary office holder of the 16th<\/sup> Century.\u201d<\/p>\n The author regards this book as an attempt to introduce \u201cthe most noticeable flowering plants\u201d to her readers.\u00a0 Most are natives, while a few are popular introductions.\u00a0 Each entry includes some botanically distinguishing features, but this is less a field guide and more an invitation to share the appreciation and various uses of these plants across the breadth of Mexico.<\/p>\n For example, most species of cosmos are native to Mexico.\u00a0 Referring to our common garden cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus<\/em>), she describes: \u201cIn the state of Michoac\u00e1n one sees a breathtaking sight: solid pink fields of them, often bordered with the yellow of wild mustard.\u201d\u00a0 She also highlights how a decoction of another species found in North American gardens, C. sulphureus<\/em>, \u201cis employed to fight the effects of the sting of the scorpion\u201d with small cup given the sting victim every hour.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Excerpted from the Winter 2021 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Helen Fowler O\u2019Gorman (1904-1984) grew up in Wisconsin but graduated in fine arts and architecture from the University of Washington.\u00a0 She began her career as sculptor and went to Mexico in 1940 to continue her studies with painter Diego Rivera.\u00a0 He encouraged her to concentrate on painting and over the next two decades, she developed a passion for illustrating the native and garden plants of her adopted country, leading to the publication of \u201cMexican Flowering Trees and Plants\u201d in 1961….<\/p>\n