Although José María Velasco practiced painting from nature—through direct observation—he had to journey into prehistoric epochs in order to execute the series of paintings commissioned by the National Geological Institute (today the UNAM Geology Museum).

The series drew inspiration from paintings by Austrian artist Josef Hoffmann (1831–1904), housed at the Natural History Museum of Vienna. In addition to ten large-format canvases, Velasco produced medium-sized compositions, such as the two examples presented here.

Among all the living beings represented from deep time, ferns stand out as some of the oldest plants on Earth. Their fossil remains date back to the Middle Devonian period (between 383 and 393 million years ago), when flowering plants did not yet exist.

Velasco’s fascination with the remote past, symbolized by the fern, is evident in his work– expressed vividly in paintings such as The Forest of Pacho (1875) and Fantastic Landscape (n.d.). The importance of this plant as a bridge to the past is highlighted in this gallery through two specimens of tree ferns from the regions of Puebla and Veracruz—places Velasco explored during his travels.