Sensational Bouquets by Christian Tortu: Arrangements by a Master Floral Designer

I got hooked on his designs while in Paris. If you are ever there you MUST visit his shop(s)!!

SENSATIONAL BOUQUETS BY CHRISTIAN TORTU is a visual treat as well as a learning inspiration for approaching that most personal craft of bringing the garden into the home - gathering and arranging flowers. Christian Tortu apparently has a following in Paris where he has a florist shop which has emphasized his creed of "All plants are born free and created equal." Having learned his craft and his passion for the natural garden from his parents as he matured in the Anjou gardens, gathering flowers from nature to place at the disposal of clients who yearn for the beauty of the garden to enter their home in ways other than window views, Tortu doesn't believe in the traditional 'sprays' of flowers place in an expensive family heirloom vase on a sterile table. Instead he combines fruit, vines, all phases of a flower's life ( bud, blossom, denuded vestige ) with grasses and all the elements found in the natural setting of his flowers. The results are lush, compact, original thoughts that are startlingly beautiful.This is writer Corine Delahaze's first outing and she shows promise of a fine observor and poet. The photography is by Sylvain Thomas and emphasizes the closeup details as well as the free-standing wonders of Tortu's designs. The combination of text and photographs balances well with Tortu's creations. There is much more to learn about nature than just an ordinary treatise on flower arranging here. In Tortu's words "Nature is a place of total freedom. All plant life is accepted as equal." And from this humble belief Tortu lifts the spirit as well as the imagination with his artist's gift.

I enjoyed this book very much. Sensational Bouquets is rich in new thoughts about what flowers and plants represent, filled with novel arrangements, and is enriched by outstanding photography of those arrangements. After reading and viewing this book, you will never think about nature and natural beauty in quite the same way. You will be the richer for the experience, because your sense of beauty will expand as a result.Christian Tortu grew up on a truck farm in Anjou, and is proud of his agricultural roots. Now he designs backdrops for fashion shows and the Cannes Film Festival. He operates floral shops in major cities around the world.Let me share a little of his philosophy, as described in the many sections he wrote for the book. "Each plant is a fragment of a landscape . . . ." In his arrangements, he creates that sense of landscape in a way that I have never seen before in flower arrangements. Nature is palpable in them."If man were to stop rushing around for one moment, he might take a look at flowers -- and then take a closer look." I remember having that experience in the orchid garden in Honolulu. I was enthralled with the beautiful blossoms in my 20 minute self-guided tour. As I was about to leave, an elderly gentleman asked me if I would like to have some help in looking around. I agreed, and spent the next three hours going over the same ground with him. Except I saw about 100 times as much with his help. I was astonished at how many delightful orchids I had totally missed in my haste (and I had thought I was being leisurely). "In time, his convictions would crumble, and he would realize classification is fruitless even beyond flowers." People love to judge, and that judgment gets in the way of really seeing and experiencing life. So these arrangements are a metaphor for breaking down our closed mental sets. The basic premise is that "all flowers are created equal." Weeds and shrubbery get as much attention as rare orchids. And the moment of perfection is not all that is explored. " . . . [E]very stage of the flower is a moment that deserves attention." One bouquet even captures burned foliage and flowers after a fire. Seeing these images makes one realize the truth of these observations. " . . . [I]n the name of harmony, each one [arrangement] has its own touch of anarchy."Mr. Tortu changes things in terms of color, type of composition, and form. I was especially fascinated by his many monochromatic arrangements, especially the green bouquets. The book is done in sections: Genesis; Revolution(s); Crossroads; and the Chronicle of a Black Bouquet. Using these themes makes it easier to appreciate the statements his designs make. Here are my favorites in the book:Agave foliage with euchasis in gray wax vasesGreen tomatoes and basil, tomato flowers, dog rose fruit and vine foliateGreen arum lilies, tea grass, viburnum, and narcissus budsGarlic flower and nasturtiumNasturtium, wild strawberries, and blackberri