Black backed gull
1827-1838
John James Audubon wasn't just painting birds; he was staging them. To create this dramatic scene of the Great Black-backed Gull, he likely shot the specimen and used wires to prop it into this screaming, crash-landed pose on the rocks. Notice the detached foot floating in the top right corner? That’s a classic Audubon move, added specifically to show off the anatomical details of the webbing. This piece is part of his legendary 'Birds of America' series, a massive undertaking to document every bird in North America at life-size scale.
- Technique
- Hand-colored aquatint
- Material
- Paper
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