{"id":2113244,"date":"2026-08-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2113244"},"modified":"2026-08-26T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T21:00:00","slug":"lush-foliage-permeates-xanthe-burdetts-delicate-portraiture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2113244","title":{"rendered":"Lush Foliage Permeates Xanthe Burdett\u2019s Delicate Portraiture"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content prose-colossal max-w-none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default entry-header is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"colo-post-featured-image wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2330\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a painting by Xanthe Burdett of a figure&apos;s silhouette filled with lush green foliage\" style=\"object-fit:cover\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cJanus\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 30 x 25 centimeters. All images courtesy of Xanthe Burdett, shared with permission<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group post-title is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0bc941e6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<h1 class=\"alignfull wp-block-post-title\">Lush Foliage Permeates Xanthe Burdett\u2019s Delicate Portraiture<\/h1>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-meta is-layout-flex wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-08-26T14:34:00-05:00\">August 26, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"taxonomy-category wp-block-post-terms\"><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">Art<\/a><a class=\"category-nature\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/nature\/\" rel=\"tag\">Nature<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/gebert\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\">Grace Ebert<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull post-share-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<ul class=\"colossal-share-buttons\">\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--facebook\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F08%2Fxanthe-burdett-foliage-portraits%2F&amp;title=Lush%20Foliage%20Permeates%20Xanthe%20Burdett%26%238217%3Bs%20Delicate%20Portraiture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Share<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--pinterest\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2026%2F08%2Fxanthe-burdett-foliage-portraits%2F&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F08%2Fburdett-5-960x1118.jpg&amp;description=Lush%20Foliage%20Permeates%20Xanthe%20Burdett%26%238217%3Bs%20Delicate%20Portraiture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-label=\"Share to Pinterest\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Pin<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--email\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email this article\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-hidden=\"true\">Email<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--copy\">\n\t\t\t<button type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Copy article link\" class=\"colossal-share-button__link colossal-share-button__copy\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2026\/08\/xanthe-burdett-foliage-portraits\/\" data-label-default=\"Copy\" data-label-copied=\"Copied!\" data-aria-default=\"Copy article link\" data-aria-copied=\"Link copied to clipboard\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"colossal-share-button__label\" aria-live=\"polite\">Copy<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"colossal-share-button colossal-share-button--bookmark\">\n\t\t\t<button class=\"simplefavorite-button preset\" data-postid=\"477143\" data-siteid=\"1\" data-groupid=\"1\" data-favoritecount=\"0\"><i class=\"sf-icon-bookmark\"><\/i>Bookmark<\/button>\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>For <a href=\"https:\/\/xantheburdett.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Xanthe Burdett<\/a>, the boundary between humans and nature is thin, malleable, and always in flux. The Devon-born, London-based artist works largely in a palette of greens, layering leaves and vines atop faint figurative silhouettes. Invoking mythology and ancient cosmologies, her paintings suggest that people and plants are not only interconnected but also intrinsically one.<\/p>\n<p>Beginning with a sketch, Burdett employs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=46_wiOboDk4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Renaissance-era cartoon method<\/a> of transferring her drawings to canvas, which involves layering a substance like charcoal between the preparatory composition and the substrate and tracing the initial linework. After, the artist adds various greenery until she\u2019s reached a lush density.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-4.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477143\" title=\"\u201cThey came upon a clearing\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 70 x 100 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cThey came upon a clearing\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 70 x 100 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cThey came upon a clearing\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 70 x 100 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-4.jpg\" alt=\"a painting by Xanthe Burdett of a figure&apos;s legs filled with lush green foliage and other translucent bodies nearby\" class=\"wp-image-477147\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cThey came upon a clearing\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 70 x 100 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Burdett considers superimposition to be a way of \u201creimagining the body as a site of ecological and mythic transformation,\u201d she says. \u201cIn an age defined by environmental catastrophe\u2014wildfires, biodiversity loss, and climate anxiety\u2014the work functions both as a refuge and as a space for imagining alternative ways of being with the more-than-human world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Presented as \u201chost and terrain,\u201d Burdett\u2019s figures encompass a sense of growth and regeneration as \u201cflesh gives way to nettles, brambles, and tender green shoots,\u201d she adds. Many also invoke mythic deities, including Venus, the Roman god of beauty and fertility, and Janus, the god of transitions and beginnings.<\/p>\n<p>This fall, the artist will be in residence at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sohorevue.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Soho Revue<\/a> working on a collection exploring the Greek tale of Daphne, who morphed into a laurel tree, as a way to conceptualize transformation amid climate catastrophe.. Keep up with that new series on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/xantheburdett\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-2.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477143\" title=\"\u201cJanus\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 30 x 25 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cJanus\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 30 x 25 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cJanus\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 30 x 25 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2389\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-2.jpg\" alt=\"a painting by Xanthe Burdett of a figure&apos;s silhouette filled with lush green foliage\" class=\"wp-image-477145\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cJanus\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 30 x 25 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-6.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477143\" title=\"\u201cVegetable Venus\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 80 x 160 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cVegetable Venus\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 80 x 160 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cVegetable Venus\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 80 x 160 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-6.jpg\" alt=\"a painting by Xanthe Burdett of a nude figure&apos;s body filled with lush green foliage\" class=\"wp-image-477149\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cVegetable Venus\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 80 x 160 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-3.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477143\" title=\"\u201cViriditas\u201d (2024),oil on Khadi handmade rag paper, 30 x 21.5 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cViriditas\u201d (2024),oil on Khadi handmade rag paper, 30 x 21.5 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cViriditas\u201d (2024),oil on Khadi handmade rag paper, 30 x 21.5 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1607\" height=\"2313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-3.jpg\" alt=\"a painting by xanthe burdett of a spindly branch with green eyes\" class=\"wp-image-477146\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cViriditas\u201d (2024),oil on Khadi handmade rag paper, 30 x 21.5 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-7.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477143\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1175\" height=\"1371\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-7.jpg\" alt=\"a painting by Xanthe Burdett of a figure&apos;s silhouette filled with lush green foliage\" class=\"wp-image-477150\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-1.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477143\" title=\"\u201cDeath of a Muse\u201d (2025), oil on linen, 24 x 60 inches\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cDeath of a Muse\u201d (2025), oil on linen, 24 x 60 inches\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cDeath of a Muse\u201d (2025), oil on linen, 24 x 60 inches\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"793\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-1.jpg\" alt=\"a painting by Xanthe Burdett of a nude figure in green\" class=\"wp-image-477144\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cDeath of a Muse\u201d (2025), oil on linen, 24 x 60 inches<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-8.jpg\" class=\"swipebox\" data-rel=\"lightbox-gallery-477143\" title=\"\u201cThe conversation\u201d (2026), oil and metal leaf on board, 17.8 x 12.7 centimeters\" data-rl_title=\"\u201cThe conversation\u201d (2026), oil and metal leaf on board, 17.8 x 12.7 centimeters\" data-rl_caption=\"\u201cThe conversation\u201d (2026), oil and metal leaf on board, 17.8 x 12.7 centimeters\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/burdett-8.jpg\" alt=\"a painting by Xanthe Burdett of a tree with small faces emerging like leaves\" class=\"wp-image-477151\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u201cThe conversation\u201d (2026), oil and metal leaf on board, 17.8 x 12.7 centimeters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside 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article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cJanus\u201d (2026), oil on linen, 30 x 25 centimeters. All images courtesy of Xanthe Burdett, shared with permission Lush Foliage Permeates Xanthe Burdett\u2019s Delicate Portraiture August 26, 2026 ArtNature Grace Ebert Share Pin Email Copy Bookmark For Xanthe Burdett, the boundary between humans and nature is thin, malleable, and always in flux. The Devon-born, London-based [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,270],"class_list":["post-2113244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-thisiscolossal-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2113244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113244\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2113244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2113244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2113244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}