Oies des neiges
1827-1838
John James Audubon was famous for shooting birds and wiring them into lifelike poses to draw them, a rather gruesome method for creating such beautiful art! This plate from his massive 'The Birds of America' project shows two Snow Geese standing on a stormy shore. Notice how the bird on the right is mostly dark? That's actually the 'blue goose' color morph of the exact same species, which Audubon included to show nature's variety. His incredible attention to feather detail and the dramatic, cloudy background make these birds look ready to waddle right off the page.
- Technique
- hand-colored aquatint engraving
- Material
- paper