My Museum and Impact Statements
For my Personal Project theme I chose depictions of birds. This might seem kind of boring, but birds are probably my favorite thing in the world, and every time I go to an art museum I actively look for the portraits or sculptures of birds. I find it super cool how someone like me can have an interest in birds and enjoy art from an artist hundreds of years ago who was interested in the same thing. I love any nature paintings, they're peaceful to look at in all the mess of the other paintings with religious imagery or heated messages. I think nature is a great way to just take a break from life and relax, and that feeling can be transferred into art, too. In many cultures, birds have a symbolic meaning, whether that be religious, cultural, emotionally, etc. I like that I can connect with the art from these cultures through the depictions of birds.
For my impact statement, I hope that other people can learn to see birds in the same way I do, and appreciate them more through these works of art. I know birds aren't the flashiest thing, but I think there's a certain charm in being able to find beauty in the small things. I want everyone to appreciate birds like I do. Especially in a world where technology and society creates a high stress environment, I would like people to be able to slow down and look at the small, beautiful details of nature that are all around us.
Audubon Sketches
Prints taken from John James Audubon's plates in The Birds of America
Who was John James Audubon?
Audubon was a prominent French wildlife artist born in the colony of Saint Domingue (Haiti) who received acclaim for drawing birds. Audubon drew realistic depictions of the various bird species, marking their feather coloration among other scientific details. He compiled a collection of his prints illustrating more than 400 North American birds, which he collaborated on with William MacGillivray, an ornithologist, to create scientific biographies for each species. His portraits of the birds were received extremely well in England, where the ideas and nature of America were highly romanticized. Audubon lived a controversial life, but contributed many scientific and artistic things to the world.
Oil Paintings
Paintings from the Baroque era of depictions of birds from different European artists
Birds in Elegant Park, 1723, Pieter Casteels
This is an oil painting from Flemish Baroque artist Pieter Casteels, who focused on painting flower still life's and bird scenes, such as Birds in Elegant Park. He created these pieces during the rise of the Flemish and Dutch middle class in the 17th century, when genre paintings and still life became more popular among collectors.
The Mobbing of a Long Eared Owl by Other Birds, Tobias Stranover, 1684-1756
The subject of The Mobbing of a Long Eared Owl by Other Birds is of course the beautiful long eared owl defending itself on the branch. Stranover depicted a defensful pose, as the feathers are puffed up, the beak agape, and the owl shifting its weight. The use of motion makes the scene feel lifelike, and the ring of other birds surrounding the owl creates a directional force that acts like a frame to the painting. Even though the figures are birds, they have expressive faces, wide eyes and angry beaks, to display emotion.
Group of Birds Perched on Branches, Frans Snyders, 1630
The oil painting of Group of Birds Perched on Branches includes a variety of different species. The largest bird and perhaps the focal point of the image is the male Indian peafowl (peacock) next to a female. Around the peafowl are various sparrows, goldfinches, parrots, and even a kingfisher. Snyders depicted each species in this painting study accurately.
A Pelican and Other Birds Near a Pool, Melchior d'Hondecoeter, 1680
Melchior d'Hondecoeter was a Dutch painter who specialized in animal paintings, especially fowl and game birds. He came from a fourth-generation of painters, and was Amsterdam's most popular game bird painter. d'Hondecoeter's work influenced other artists, such as Tobias Stranover. This painting is held in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (which I have been to, and recall seeing this piece).
Birds in Japanese Art
Birds are often a symbolic animal in many cultures, and Japanese art is a perfect example of this imagery throughout different time periods. Including pieces from Ito Jakuchu, Ohara Koson and others.
Cultural Symbolism of a Crane
Cranes (tsuru) in Japanese culture represent not only the beauty and gracefulness of their natural form, but also a sign of good luck, hope and longevity. A Japanese myth is that a crane can live for a thousand years and grant wishes to humans. Cranes have been an important and long-respected symbol in Japanese myth and culture, from ancient to modern times.
Cultural Symbolism of a Mandarin Duck
Mandarin ducks (oshidori) are a symbol of love, affection and fidelity. They are commonly shown in pairs, like a married couple. The ducks have affectionate behavior patterns for their mate, and as a result, Japanese culture even calls loving relationships for married partners "oshidori-fufu" as a reference to the ducks.
Cultural Symbolism of a Rooster
A rooster (ondori) is a symbol of protection, courage and strength. In Japanese myth, the rooster lured the sun goddess into the sky, filling it with light. They are also culturally associated with the rising sun and beginning of a new day, a connection between heaven and earth. Because of the rooster's status as a protector, they were never killed or eaten in past Japanese culture.
Additional Modern Japanese Artwork of Birds
Modern Artworks of Birds, Different Mediums and Artists
Including pieces I chose for visual value, or simply because I thought they were cool or unique
(left) The Wounded Eagle, 1870, Rosa Bonheur. This painting has an incredibly lifelike amount of motion; the neck is twisting, the tail is flayed, the legs are posed, and of course the wing is crooked in an injured position. Another lifelike aspect is the implied texture of the feathers on the eagle using shadows, brushwork, and color to show realistic feathers that are warping with the eagle's motion.
(top right) Red Tail Hawk, 1980s, William L. Hawkins. An African-American artist born in Kentucky, Hawkins moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he began painting brightly colored architecture and animal paintings in the Primitivism style, and he would often use scavenged material in his artworks. As seen on Red Tail Hawk, Hawkins usually signed his work with his birth date, July 27, 1895, as he held on to a youthful spirit despite painting quite late in life.
(bottom right) Seagulls, 1910, Arkady Rylov. The subject of the painting is a small flock of seagulls sitting on a rocky coast beside clear water. Rylov uses a simple but effective technique with color to mimic water and its reflective and translucent properties. It appears as if the rocks are actually under a dimension of water. Rylov uses bright, high contrast colors, such as the bright blue water lines or highlights of the rocks to add some depth to the painting. It feels realistic but whimsical at the same time.
(right) Falcon, 20th century, Algernon Talmage. Talmage was an Impressionist, a style that can be seen in the line work (or lack thereof) in the form of the falcon. Rather than having a clear, defined silhouette, the color and loose brushwork forms its own silhouette. He is still able to capture the coloration of the falcon's feathers without overly detailing the piece, and instead portraying a humble use of flat brush strokes and natural color palette.
(left) Wounded Bird, 1921, Pablo Picasso. Aside from Picasso's signature style of Cubism, there is a more somber and serious subtext to the piece. Created as a reaction to WWI, the implied content of the drawing serves as a reminder of the violent horror of war, and what it does to its victims. The bird, which appears to be a pigeon, is colored in dull, despairing hues of blue and grey. Its angular, broken form looks painful, like it is being split apart from the inside, a testament to the suffering of war.
(left) The Swan (No. 1), 1914-15, Hilma af Klint. The subject of this oil painting are the two swans, one white and one black, who appear to be mirror opposites of each other. Even their respective backgrounds are opposite white and black. This gives the piece a theme of contrast and division between the two swans, who touch beaks in the middle, forming a bridge between their black and white sides.
(right) The Green Parrot, 1886, Vincent van Gogh. This painting may not seem like a Van Gogh at first; it's in a Realism style instead of his famous Post-Impressionist paintings, textured, bright colors and popping brush strokes. In 1886, van Gogh lived with his brother Theo in Paris, and created this painting in an anatomical study of a stuffed, taxidermy parrot during this time. Although it is in a less stylized manner, van Gogh still uses highlights of color against shadow and thick brush strokes to add a touch of liveliness to the parrot. Some have even argued this was not a van Gogh work at all.