Read this Wildlife Art Journal article NOAH ENTERING THE ARK by Jan van Kessel the Younger (Dutch 1654-1708), 89 X 56 cm, oil on panel. This is a copy of similar works by Piet Breughel and Jan Breughel the Younger, examples of which may be found in the National Galleries of London and Budapest and the Prado, Madrid. The small size of the ark was simply an excuse for the artist to paint animals and give the work a respectable title of biblical origin. Some of the animals were originally depicted thus by Rubens and copied by the Breughels - then a common practice.
Subscribers may see all 17 images. LIZARD AND FLY by Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973), 29 X 23cm, aquatint and drypoint, from Picasso's "Buffon Suite" made in 1936 but not published until 1942. Nature In Art has works by many prominent Europeans.
Subscribers may see all 17 images. BYZANTINE MOSAIC, 5th Century AD, from Asia Minor, 59 X 50cm The bird shown has spurs on its legs, indicating a male. Other features shown indicate it cannot be any but a peacock. Why a peacock in the floor of an early Christian church? Contemporary thought was that peacock flesh did not decompose, so for Christians this was a visual reminder of resurrection.
Subscribers may see all 17 images. BEETLES by Sarah Stone (British, 1759-1802),watercolor signed & dated 1781. - The original watercolour from which engravings were made and then hand-coloured. Naturalist works like this inspired Charles Darwin.
Subscribers may see all 17 images. WILD BOAR & PIGLETS by Pieter Dik,(The Netherlands 1943-1984), 83 X 68cm, oil on canvas. - If he had lived longer, what could this young man have done? Nature in Art has two atmospheric works by him, each inspired by forests.
Subscribers may see all 17 images. England's Nature In Art Museum—An Essay By Scholar David TrapnellA Quarter Century Old, This Important Art Mecca Truly Challenges Us To Think More Broadly About Fine Art And NatureWritten By David Trapnell (Author's Bio) In this essay, the Founder and Chairman of England's Nature in Art Museum candidly scrutinizes perceptions that have long persisted about 'wildlife art .' Are you guilty of holding the same biases identified by scholar David Trapnell?
By David Trapnell
Worldview or a Blinkered Vision?When I was a Visiting Professor at the University of Chicago a friend told me that I was very fortunate to live in London "because London is the centre of the world." He went on and said, "In Chicago, Chicago is the world." Whether this generalization is true or not, it illustrates a common human failing - being content with a very limited range of "vision", of intellectual concern or awareness. (Click on images below to increase their size).
Some collectors of art are like that. Their range of interest is severely blinkered. They have the intellectual equivalent of the rare medical condition called "tunnel vision". Why on earth should this be so? Part of the answer seems simply to be a matter of habit. "We have always done it, so we go on doing it", they say. I suggest that may well be the explanation why so many museums all over the world have ignored art inspired by nature. Landscapes, portraits, nudes, still life, classical and religious themes, interior domestic scenes, sporting activities, tamed or domesticated animals and birds, flowers in a vase and flowers in a garden - all these are common subjects in important public art centres. So why do so few works whose... Additional Article Information:· Article is 2,070 words long (250 are displayed in this preview). Author: David Trapnell Post Date:December 25th, 2010 '
It is indeed an honor for Wildlife Art Journal to feature an essay from renowned scholar David Trapnell on Nature In Art, the United Kingdom's premier museum devoted to the intersection of art and the natural world. Nature In Art challenges us, rightfully, to venture beyond the rigid and limiting boundaries of "wildlife art." Trapnell is not only the Founder and Chairman of Nature in Art, located in Gloucester, but he also is known for bringing insightful and unabashed commentary. Revered in his home country, Trapnell has been both a champion of art that explores nature-related subjects and, where he sees fit, withering critical analysis. He does not disappoint in this essay. Again, we are pleased to introduce David to readers beyond the UK.
' Research tags: nature in Art museum, david trapnell, wildlife art, wildlifeartjournal, wildlife art journal, leigh yawkey woodson art museum, |
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