John Audubon Essay

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John Audubon is arguably the greatest American artist-naturalist that has lived. (Pg.17 of source #4) He was intrigued by the natural world and at the same time enjoyed the elegant feeling painting brought him. Although he is not the first artist to attempt to paint and describe all the birds of America, “he was the young countries dominant wildlife artist for over half a century. Audubon used his artistic skills to portray American birds in their natural habitat. His knowledge on birds, the environment and artistic practices made his work extremely different from others. Through his art he dismays an intense affection for birds by using a scientific and objective approach. His passion for exploring the beauty of birds and the nature that surrounded them lead him to create paintings that are well known today. The natural world and scenes from everyday life are common themes that are portrayed throughout his works.
Audubon was born on April 26, 1785 in the French colony of Saint-Domingue. (now Haiti). JJA was the son of the intelligent Jean Audubon, a French Naval officer, marine captain and a sugar plantation owner. (Source #4 pg. 17) His mother was a French chambermaid from the village of Mazures who died about six months after his birth. It was when JJA was in middle school when he started skipping classes to wander off into the wilderness and pursue his passion of painting what he saw. With the guidance and help from his father, JJA began drawing “feathered tribes”. His father would point out the birds “elegant movements and the beauty and softness of their plumage” (Pg. 18 of source #4) In 1803, his father sent him to America to over see his families property at Mill Grove in Philadelphia. It was then when JJA immediately f...

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...’s devotion to his vision with there inscriptions and layers of media wrought with great variety,, from magisterially broad strokes to exquisite detail. They reveal his working process and how he arrived at his revolutionary compositions, which for the first time in world history depict the birds life-size and their different lifestyles. Audubon encapsulates the spirit of young America and was a person a memorable strength and endurance as well as a determined observer of birds and nature. He was also concerned with conservation of the birds he studied and was an advocate for the protection from the destruction of birds and their habitats. John James Audubon died on January 27, 1851 in New York City of health issues. It is very fitting that today we carry own his name and legacy because many of his beliefs are ones that remain important today and for the future.

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