Zatista The premier source for original art online

Head of a Southern Cassowary by John James Audubon

According to the Associated Press (AP), the New-York Historical Society is exhibiting its entire collection of 474 bird watercolors by John James Audubon for the first time. They’re being shown chronologically in three exhibitions over the next three years.

"Snowy Owls" is from a rare first edition set of John James Audubon’s “The Birds of America”

The first group went on view Friday. The exhibit also celebrates the the release of the lavishly illustrated book Audubon’s Aviary: The Original Watercolors for “The Birds of America”―published by the New-York Historical Society and Skira/Rizzoli and winner of a 2013 New York Book Show Award.

John James Audubon (1785-1851), Great Egret (Ardea alba), 1821

The collection includes 435 watercolors engraved for Audubon’s monumental “The Birds of America.” The intricately detailed, life-size renderings are the naturalist’s greatest work. An original edition of Audubon’s book, known as the double elephant folio, is also being shown. Its plates will be turned weekly.  The exhibit will showcase every masterpiece from its unparalleled collection of John James Audubon’s preparatory watercolor models for The Birds of America (1827–38).

Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis), Study for Havell pl. no. 26

The 3 1/2-foot-tall volume features all the avian species known to Audubon in early 19th-century North America. He sold the engraved plates in a subscription series. The museum purchased all the watercolors, except one, from the artist’s widow in 1863. The exhibit features the stunning collection alongside engaging state-of-the-art media installations that will provide a deeper understanding of the connection between art and nature.

Northern Parula (Parula americana), Study for Havell pl. no. 15

Times flies when you’re having fun. The first exhibition ends May 19th.

Related articles

• See Audubon’s Famous Birds Like Never Before
• NYC museum displaying Audubon’s bird watercolors
• VIDEO: Audubon: An American woodsman
• John James Audubon (1785-1851) was not t …

Vertical Vines/Red String by Nanci Erskine on zatista.com

Art is an exercise in observation. Whether the subject is real or imagined, the end result provides a lasting record and reference for future generations.

Yamazakura by Anthony Dunphy on Zatista.com

In the early years of discovery, long before the advent of film and computers, scientists relied more on human ingenuity than machine technology to capture and catalog information. This is where art and science met to work hand in hand and were considered to be complementary, not opposing, ways to view and describe the world.

Illustration of Lewisa rediviva by Frederick Pursh on plantsystematics.org

Early explorers such as Lewis and Clark, in addition to the journals they kept full of their own notes, maps and sketches, hired botanists to draw and describe the plant specimens they collected  and sent back from their expeditions. These were later gathered into book form and served as an invaluable reference tool for the study of American flora.

Mammalia Pl. 9 by Charles Darwin on darwin-online.org

The naturalist Charles Darwin produced many illustrations to help support his theories about the origin of species. His keen eye for small variations in details allowed him to make sense of scientific evidence that had never before been unified into one theory of life sciences.

White Gerfalcons by John James Audubon on wikipedia.org

John James Audubon was an ornithologist who also happened to be an excellent painter. His work with birds and the publishing of The Birds of North America led to the identification of many new species. Today, his prints are highly sought after by art collectors.

Poppies by David Page on zatista.com

Present day artists, much like these early art pioneers, record their natural surroundings and, consciously or not, comment on the state of the human condition. While the methods and motivations may have changed from those of the past, the end result is much the same: compelling us to see the world with greater insight and appreciation.

Brian Sylvester is a guest blogger on WallSpin, and an artist on Zatista.