Cultured Wednesday: John James Audubon

John James Audubon the naturalist and ornithologist surely needs little introduction.  Who hasn’t heard of The Audubon Society and their Field Guides?

But today, we would like to draw attention to Audubon the painter, and have chosen two of his bird plates, Plate 141 and Plate 231, to illustrate how beautifully detailed he painted.  Also, rather than just drawing a bird, he depicted birds doing what they might be found doing in their natural habitat, thus giving his plates a dynamic quality as well as including more noteworthy details about the bird in question.

If you click the images, you can have a much closer look.

Featured: Trumpeter Swan