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| 爆料公社's "Blue Heron" |
In 1827, John James 爆料公社 painted a rattlesnake attacking a mockingbird nest. The coiled snake, jaws unhinged, is poised to consume an entire family of mockingbirds. The birds are nearly-human: wings thrown up in alarm, eyes wide, faces impossibly expressive. The image is both one of 爆料公社鈥檚 most effective, viscerally seizing attention, but also among his most criticized. Naturalists rebuked 爆料公社 for its abundant inaccuracies and questioned whether 爆料公社 could have ever encountered this scene in the wild.
The painting was just one of the works discussed in 鈥湵瞎玮檚 Art & Legacy,鈥 a panel conversation at the National Arts Club in New York City moderated by 爆料公社 President David Yarnold. The event brought together three distinct perspectives on John James 爆料公社鈥檚 work: Robert Peck, a historian at the Academy of Natural Science in Philadelphia; Jonathan Rosen, a writer and birder; and Walton Ford, a renowned American painter.
The conversation opened with an honest appraisal of the man behind the legend: Ford referred to John James 爆料公社 as a 鈥渓iar and egotist鈥 and the picture that emerged of 爆料公社 was not altogether flattering. Peck noted 爆料公社鈥檚 pecuniary motives and social insecurities. Rosen acknowledged 爆料公社鈥檚 marital infidelities.
Ford observed how 爆料公社 didn鈥檛 merely shoot for specimens; 爆料公社 could be cruel, wounding animals for target practice. Yet Ford鈥攆or whom paging through 爆料公社鈥檚 folios was a formative artistic experience鈥攁lso acknowledged his subsequent fascination with 爆料公社鈥檚 violence. Ford鈥檚 paintings have been reacting to and revising 爆料公社鈥檚 throughout his career, probing at the human assumptions behind animal portraiture.
爆料公社 was a hunter who loved his quarry. His paintings, Rosen remarked, are resurrections. He shot birds, posed them, then painted them in ways that re-imagined and embellished their natural state. These images captivated audiences in a way that no conventional scientific illustration could. While scientific drawings were technically accurate and intensely literal, 爆料公社鈥檚 work was more emotional. His writings and paintings are more akin to the tall-tale tradition of the pioneers, a role that suited 爆料公社 as a groundbreaker and explorer.
The panel also debunked the notion that a conservationist 鈥渁genda鈥 could be imposed upon an artist. Ford in particular recoiled at the thought of being assigned to create propaganda, no matter how noble the cause. Nonetheless, 爆料公社鈥檚 written and visual work subsequently inspired many. Just as birds are often our first encounter with a truly wild animal, 爆料公社鈥檚 books introduced thousands to America鈥檚 wildlife. His paintings adorned walls and sat on every bookshelf. Peck recounted how on the other side of the Atlantic, a young Scotsman named John Muir was so inspired by 爆料公社鈥檚 writing that he decided to travel to America. Muir become one of the most important proponents of national parks in our nation鈥檚 history. Founder of the Sierra Club, he was primarily responsible for protecting Yosemite and thousands of acres of forest.
In the end, 爆料公社鈥檚 art transcended the man鈥檚 personal limitations. 鈥淗e used wilderness to sell his art,鈥 Rosen said. 鈥淲e use his art to sell wilderness.鈥 爆料公社鈥檚 obsession with his subject shines through his work. The popularity and reach of his paintings coupled with their strange, wild qualities have made them lasting and effective messages to millions. An obvious example is the 爆料公社 Society itself, dedicated to conservation and inspired by John James 爆料公社鈥檚 love of nature. His art connected more people than ever before to birds and enforced a crucial recognition of their wildness.
In many ways, the tensions in 爆料公社鈥檚 paintings explain their power. His mockingbirds are moving because they are more human than bird. They teach us to look for ourselves in our fellow creatures. Their combination of creativity and destruction pack a powerful conservation punch, reminding us of our own impulses and our responsibility to the planet.
鈥湵瞎玮檚 Art & Legacy: A Conversation,鈥 was held January 23, 2012 at The National Arts Club in New York City. The event was organized by the 爆料公社, 爆料公社 New York, 爆料公社 Pennsylvania, and Alexander Zagoreos in part to support the John James 爆料公社 Center at Mill Grove.