Detroit and the Civil War Detroit and the Civil War Detroit and the ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Audubon exhibit nests in Grand Rapids By Joseph Cabadas The name Audubon is linked to the study of birds much like Webster is linked to dictionaries, Edison to electricity or Ford to cars. John James Audubon was a pioneer in the 19th century when he decided to create and publish his full color, life-size drawings of American birds. His work and appeal still resonates with the public today. Offering the public a unique opportunity to see 30 of Audubon’s 435 hand-colored prints, the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) is hosting the “Birds of America: Audubon Prints from Shelburne Museum” on an extended show until Aug. 14. The exhibit includes historical highlights of Audubon, a video presentation of all his original watercolor studies, an etching demonstration display and hand-coloring activities. “Audubon is one of the three greatest American artists of the 19th century,” said Richard Axsom, GRAM senior curator of prints and photographs. “What Audubon did was revolutionary. In Birds of America, he was the first artist to paint birds full scale and to present them in their natural habitat and in natural action. Although that sounds like what one would do, at the time it was very radical. The ornithological illustrations before Audubon’s time were like mug shots showing frontal and profile, but not necessarily in a landscape and not in any action.” The public became excited about how Audubon vividly portrayed the birds’ plumage and physical characteristics along with backgrounds that showed recognizable landscapes and city scenes. His name and appeal survives thanks to the ubiquitous Audubon societies, bird stamps and calendars. Living in Haiti, plus France and a family farm in Pennsylvania when he was young, Audubon was the son of a French sea captain and a Creole mother. He was fascinated by birds at a 38 DAC NEWS JULY 2011 John James Audubon’s “Herring Gull...View of the Entrance into St. Augustine” (plate CCXCI; 1831). Courtesy Shelburne Museum. John James Audubon’s “Carolina Turtle Dove” (plate XVIII; 1827). Courtesy Shelburne Museum. young age and by the 1820s decided to document all the American birds that he could. It became a 17-year-long project as he traveled up and down the East Coast from Labrador in the north to Florida’s Key West in the south, the hinterlands such as Kentucky, or along the Ohio River, down the Mississippi and the Mississippi Delta. In his travels, Audubon had to kill some of the specimens he wanted to illustrate, wire them into action poses and create the drawings almost on the spot because the colors of the feathers began to fade within hours of the birds’ deaths. Using the largest printing paper available at the time, he turned to engraver Robert Havell of England which resulted in a creation of a subscription-based series of books of hand-colored engravings that wasn’t finished until 1838. “Every two months subscribers would get five prints in a packet,” Axsom said. “When he was done, the (435) prints were bound into four volumes… Not only were the engravings expensive, but so was the complete set. In 1938, Birds of America (the Havell edition) sold for $1,000.”
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Only the very wealthy could afford the subscriptions – such as the nobility of Great Britain and the European continent – or institutions such as the University of Michigan. When U of M moved from Detroit to Ann Arbor and opened its new library in 1838, the first books that came in were Audubon’s Birds of America, Axsom noted. The Shelburne Museum of Shelburne, VT, took 30 of its Havell edition prints to create the traveling tour that GRAM is hosting. Thanks to the subscriptions of museums and universities, Audubon’s work became well known and resulted in the creation of the Octavo edition. Printed in 1840, the hand-colored lithographs were only one-eighth the size of the full-size Havells but were much more affordable. By the mid-1840s Americans knew about Audubon and Birds of America exceptionally well, Axsom said. JAC101710DACad.pdf 1 10/20/10 4:54 PM “Audiences are truly enjoying our exhibition,” he continued. “We also have a second presentation called ‘Understanding Audubon: Birds of America in Context.’ In this gallery we have examples of the Octavo edition. We have examples of other ornithological illustrations contemporaneous with Audubon so you can see what other scientific illustrators were doing.’ The “Understanding Audubon” presentation also includes an electronic display of Audubon’s watercolor studies – thanks to digitization of the originals by the New York Historical Society – plus a showing of the rare Bien Edition of Birds of America. The Bien Edition was started after Audubon’s death by his widow and son. Using color lithography, the publication was cut short – only 150 plates of Audubon’s 435 prints were made – by the outbreak of the American Civil War. The Bien Edition was provided by the John James Audubon’s “Snowy Owls” (plate CXXI, 1829). Courtesy Shelburne Museum. Joel Oppenheimer Gallery of Chicago. All in all, GRAM is featuring some of Audubon’s most desirable illustrations. DAC NEWS JULY 2011 39
Page 1: M a g a z i n e o f De t r o i t at
Page 4 and 5: pg. 30 pg. 34 pg. 14 2 Contents JUL
Page 6 and 7: 4 2011 Cadillacs Great Service, Gre
Page 8 and 9: MANAGER’S MESSAGE J.G. TED GILLAR
Page 10 and 11: Resident Robert L. Bodack Managing
Page 12 and 13: We can lower the costs of: • Payr
Page 14 and 15: DAC Athletic Awards big winner at 3
Page 16 and 17: Mixed League winners BOWLING BEAT M
Page 18 and 19: BLACKBALLER’S BOUNCE CHRISTOPHER
Page 20 and 21: INTERMEDIATES LORRON E. JAMES Happy
Page 22 and 23: (( Wine Society’s Wyncroft dinner
Page 24 and 25: Past president builds family center
Page 26 and 27: 150th Anniversary Detroit Detroit a
Page 28 and 29: Michigan was the first state west o
Page 30 and 31: 28 DAC NEWS JULY 2011 promoted to l
Page 32 and 33: By Mary Rodrique The old adage “g
Page 34 and 35: THE LAW OFFICES OF RANDALL J. GILLA
Page 36 and 37: 34 DAC NEWS JULY 2011 Above, DAC Pr
Page 38 and 39: Laval Perry, Victoria Lucas-Perry,
Page 42 and 43: David, Sydney and Madison Sanders w
Page 44 and 45: The Detroit Golf Club welcomes DAC
Page 46 and 47: Vito Gioia, Dwight Zahringer and St
Page 48: One shared goal: eliminate cancer b

Detroit and the Civil War Detroit and the Civil War Detroit and the ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?