Audubon’s Artwork Was Groundbreaking
But he was monstrous
John James Audubon’s artwork of birds in many ways made society better.
Audubon’s book The Birds of America contained a large amount of his artwork and was released in installments from 1827–1838. Its portraits covered 489 different species of birds, and it contained an impressive 435 images.
Throughout his time as an artist, he not only identified twenty-three new bird species but also recognized twelve previously unknown subspecies.
At the same time, Audubon did pioneering work through portraying many different aspects of the life of birds. They included brutal moments in nature such as a bird with a dying snake; he skillfully showed nature in both its peaceful and tumultuous moments educating viewers on how they both exist simultaneously yet can be beautiful even when tragic.
Additionally, Audubon’s images include now extinct birds such as the passenger pigeon providing a record of amazing creatures sadly lost to the world.
Audubon’s artwork influenced people to desire more rights for birds and to care more about conservation eventually leading to the initial Audubon Society in Massachusetts in 1896.
While these are wonderful features of his work, Audubon himself was not a good person. He was…
