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James Audubon Gallery |
Great Blue Heron
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Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
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Snowy Heron or White Egret
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Enter Gallery
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Gallery Description
John James Audubon (1785-1851) is a legend, a name well recognized by bird watchers and art enthusiasts alike. Audubon was born in the French colony of Santo Domingo to a Captain Father. To escape conscription into Napoleon's army, the eighteen-year-old Audubon was sent to America in 1803 to oversee his father's farm, Mill Grove, in Montgomery County. Thus began the great man’s journey to the world of art. At Mill Groves, with few responsibilities on him, Audubon led a carefree life and indulged in every activity conceivable. “Hunting, fishing, drawing, and music," he wrote, "occupied my every moment," as did swimming and the local social life. He became popular at and for everything he did. It was during this time, Audubon got interested in nature, which later turned into passion.
Audubon roamed around in the woods and fields incongruously wearing satin breeches and silk stockings. He became an enthusiastic and skilled hunter, both for sport and for his art. He collected all kinds of wildlife specimens, which he both preserved and sketched in attic rooms at Mill Grove. At the age of 20 he started painting birds and his reputation, as a painter of birds has not be equalled by any to this date. Because he was familiar with the activities of his subjects and used freshly killed birds wired in his unique manner, Audubon was able to capture the shapes, textures, plumage, colors, and typical positions of his birds more accurately than other artists. In spite of the advantages of photography and state-of-the-art technology, no modern bird painter has equaled his achievements.
Skilled at depictions in pastel and pencil, Audubon gradually added to his repertoire a variety of techniques incorporating watercolor, gouache, and glazes. He often blended several media in one image to faithfully replicate the look of his subjects. He portrayed the great gray owl, head turned in characteristic pose, against a blank background, heightening the definition of the subject's monochromatic, brownish plumage. On the other hand, the brown, black, and white feathers of Audubon's snowy owls were juxtaposed dramatically against a dark, stormy twilight sky. Examining both in their original versions, executed in watercolor, graphite and pencil, a viewer can almost feel the texture of their plumage.
Check out our gallery of our James Audubon paintings.
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Saturday, July, 5 th
2008
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