“The whole devastation of the plant covering, through carelessness, thoughtlessness and vandalism in the Peninsular State are everywhere apparent”. These terrible words were written by [New York Botanical Garden Curator] John Kundell Small in his memoir, From Eden to Sahara (1) after a scientific expedition to Florida in 1922. A hundred years later it is disheartening to see how Florida’s original wildlife habitats have been dramatically reduced to only 49 State and Federal sponsored Natural Reserves and 29 Refuges. The rest of the land is up for grabs.

In his introduction, Kundell worries about the future of Florida’s wildlife and original habitats: 

“[ Florida’s Historic Record] shows a reckless, furious, even a mad desire to destroy everything natural…/…The white man has become increasingly active in transforming the surface of the peninsula. The question is, what will be next?”

In Florida, we are all witness to how these “transformations” have not stopped. The pressure on the environment is greater than ever. The general public is largely unaware of the future consequences of the degradation of his own environment, but it is worth noting that some progress has been made thanks in part to a recent universal sense of the urgency to stop and reverse the degradation of pristine landscapes and the consequential climate change which continues to occur -at least in part- because of our economic activities. To this point, Kundell continues: “ We try hard to preserve the old furniture that our ancestors sat and slept in, but neglect the things that can never be replaced or even imitated”. 

It seems that it is more and more necessary to provide education to the public in places where the splendor of the Natural World can literally take over. In effect, direct exposure to its awesome beauty is the most effective way to cultivate awareness of the value of the Natural world which sustains life on earth. 

Antonio Ugarte has approached his latest series of Florida landscapes with the certainty that his paintings will help to nurture a certain mystical appreciation of our environment. These paintings are an invitation for a pause, for a meditation. The artist has been a regular visitor to a natural preserve called a Patch of Heaven in the Redlands, south of Miami. There, a team of nature enthusiasts has purchased 20 acres of land,  where they have designed and delivered what could be called a formidable Florida Nature Theme Park. Hundreds of plant species have been carefully curated and planted in the old groves which have been enhanced with massive coral stone structures, waterfalls, and ponds. It is there, in the watery reflections of reeds, bromeliads, orchids, water plants, trees, and clouds, that Ugarte finds images to first photograph and then realistically transfer onto canvas in the studio. The essential message of this exhibition of large and elegant paintings and photographs could ultimately be an invitation to see and reflect on the fragility of our local ecosystems with fresh eyes and an open, active heart.

We can surely all agree with Kundell Small, the Botanical Garden Curator when he wrote at the end of his Introduction about Florida, “… Here is a unique El Dorado, mainly a tongue of land, extending hundreds of miles into tepid waters, reaching, almost to the Tropic of Cancer, where the floristics of temperate regions associates with those of the tropics. As much as possible this natural history museum should be preserved, not only for its beauty but also for its educational value, for it is within easy reach of the majority of the population of the United States”.

Axel Stein

March 2023

1. John Kundell Small, From Eden to Sahara / Florida´s Tragedy 

The Science Press Printing Company, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 1929