Begonia maculata (family Begoniaceae) was discovered in 1820 in Brazil by an Italian researcher.
The peculiarity that immediately catches the eye are the angel’s wings shaped leaves, olive green colored and heavily white spotted in the upper part and red in the lower part. The flowers are very small and grouped in dense white or pale pink clusters.
A legend tells that Begonias inspired the shoe designer, Christian Louboutin, to create his signature red-soled stilettos. In the 1990s and 2000s, the flash of scarlet accompanying the click-clack of heels down a Paris boulevard or catwalk was an immediate sign of glamour.



31,5×24 cm,

watercolor and graphite on paper