1
Kevin Curry
John James Audubon’s The Birds of North America Analysis
Although aesthetically pleasing, upon first glance, the 82nd plate of John James
Audubon’s The Birds of North America may seem to be a cluster of unorganized chaos.
However, under further analysis and observation, the illustration is indeed well planed out and I
believe Audubon has arranged the subjects in the picture in this way on purpose. As Nickelsen
explained, the botanical and specimen illustrations served a greater purpose than just décor;
“However, notwithstanding their beauty, they were not produced principally for decorative
purposes but in order to be published in books of the technical literature in order to communicate
botanical knowledge. This scientific side of plant images tends to be overlooked…”1 In
Audubon’s illustration of the whip-poor-will in the 82nd plate, he is showing this exactly. He
creatively explores the ideals of scale, balance, depth, detail and motion in the painting to depict
the importance of this particular arrangement.
The first and most apparent observation was the different scales of the three whip-poorwills in the picture. The larger of the three birds and also the only male, located at the top of the
page, is an obvious focal point and an important aspect of the painting for several reasons. I
believe the difference in scale may not only have to do with accuracy of the subjects but also
displaying a male dominance in the species. Although, most males tend to be larger than females,
the artist accentuates the male’s size by showing his extensive wingspan in midflight. This is
important because even without words, the viewer is able to make key assumptions or
observations on the lifestyles of these birds. One would be able to tell that the males take care of
1
Nickelsen, Karin. "Draughtsmen, Botanists and Nature: Constructing Eighteenth-Century
Botanical Illustrations." Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical
Sciences 37 (2006): Introduction.
2
the hunting because in this picture the male is in the midst of chasing a moth. And furthermore,
this gives insight into what the diet for these birds might be and how they catch their prey. The
scale of the birds and especially the male is an important part of how the species are arranged
and fit with each other in the picture.
The balance and composition of this illustration initially struck me as odd. After
observing all layers of the picture and the location of certain organisms, it seemed to me that the
picture was asymmetrical and very heavy along the bottom as well as up the right side of the
picture. However, by dissecting the illustration by layers, I realized the foreground is very
symmetrical and balanced. The organisms almost form a perfect circle in the picture that starts
with the two females on the branch, goes up the right side to the larger male who is chasing the
butterfly and moth. The circle is then fully connected by the largest and most detailed leaf
towards the left of the page. This geometrical set up is relevant because it encompasses all the
most important subjects of the illustration. The three birds are the obvious subjects of the
depiction, however, the other organisms offer important information about the birds. The leaf
and the branch from which the leaf comes from offer the viewer insight to the kind of habitat in
which this species of bird resides. And as previously mentioned, the other organisms allow the
viewer to make assumptions about the kind of organisms the whip-poor-wills prey upon. The
symmetrical balance of the organisms in this picture proves to be another way Audubon is
exploring and emphasizing the arrangement of the contents in the illustration itself.
Although there aren’t extreme levels of depth in the picture, I believe there is enough for
the viewer to understand what is going on in the picture and on what plane. The different layers
of leaves create a dynamic aspect for the illustration and provide sufficient information about the
depth of the scene. I think Audubon found the perfect balance between necessary information
3
and excessive additions, which might become distracting to the viewer and the overall
composition of the painting. The white background provides a sharp contrast to some of the
organisms and brings out the lines in the print. This is another representation of one of the topics
discussed by Nickelsen in his article. He quotes a letter of a botanist to a draughtsman explaining
what the illustration should look like by saying, “As to the background, I will leave this to the
judgment of the artist, although I am of the opinion that, when it comes to plants with pale green
leaves or white flowers, a browner background would make the picture clearer. In any case, I
would plead once more for nature to be expressed as clearly as possible…”2 Audubon is
effectively using the same strategy that draughtsmen were using a century earlier for the same
reasons. The placement of certain organisms against the white background really allows the
“nature to be expressed as clearly as possible”. This method of leaving certain things out of the
background and loosing some depth in order to gain more clarity proves to be another reason the
arrangement of the painting is so important.
An important part of this Audubon illustration is the exceptional detail of the subjects and
their surroundings. The colors and the textures of the feathers of the birds are what first struck
me. Not only the birds, but most of the leaves and the branch have intricate details that make the
picture unmistakable for something else. Previous to the 18th century particularly, illustration
was a difficult part of classification because of the lack of detail or clarity they provided.
Freedberg explored the topic of illustration in the early 17th century classification process and
explained of one man’s work primarily. He critiques this man in his conclusion by stating, “Cesi
must have realized that in at least two respects his illustrations had failed... the woodcuts he and
2
Nickelsen, Karin. "Draughtsmen, Botanists and Nature: Constructing Eighteenth-Century
Botanical Illustrations." Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical
Sciences 37 (2006): Educating and Supervising Botanical Draughtsmen.
4
his friends struggled over for so long were much more rudimentary and lacking in detail…”3
This quote proves to be why detail is so important in botanical and zoological drawings. It also
proves why Audubon’s picture of the 82nd plate is so successful in nature. The detail is a
reinforcing factor that supports the arrangement of the picture by providing even more
information about the subjects.
The last but yet one of the mot relevant aspects of the illustration in respect to
composition and layout is the sense of motion that Audubon captures in the picture. There is an
obvious illusion of movement and excitement in the painting due to several key indicators. The
male bird is the first clear example of motion in the drawing. He is shown in midflight swooping
down and appears to be in the midst of a chase for food. His prey is attempting to flee along with
other species in the picture including the other butterfly or moth and the caterpillar. This
commotion of the chase creates an intense sense of movement. Another more subtle but ever
important indicator is the leaves. They look as if the environment around them is affecting them
in the sense that they are not staying straight, but are bending and curving in different directions.
Possibly being thrown about by the wind. The disturbance of peace shown in this illustration
elicits a feeling of excitement or anxiousness. In the way the male bird is shown and even the
female bird is on the right, I get the sense that something is about to happen and Audubon
captures the moment before the event perfectly. The arrangement of the picture yet again is
accentuated through the motion of the picture and then in turn depicting feelings of chaos and
uncertainty.
In my analysis of John James Audubon’s The Birds of North America and in the
illustration of the whip-poor-wills especially, I can conclude that the preempted arrangement of
3
The Eye of the Lynx: Galileo, his friends, and the beginnings of modern natural history., 2002.
5
the organisms was an extremely important piece of the painting. The specific placement of
certain specimens in the scene gave insight and allowed the viewer to have a deeper
understanding of the birds themselves. Audubon’s successful use of certain aspects of illustration
were crucial in the explanation of scene and why it was essential for the organisms to be located
where they were. In botanical and zoological illustrations and especially full scenes like the one
depicted here, I believe the success of the arrangement is directly related to the viewer’s
experience with the picture.
6
7