Description
Barn Swallows in August – 19 1/2″ x 29 1/4″ – 950 Edition Signed and Numbered Paper Prints – Call for Price
“A traditional barn is like a piece of natural landscape. It was built with materials found in nature in the vicinity. Weather and organisms work on the wood and stone so that it evolves and changes gradually with time.
This particular barn was built by my grandfather. I can picture him and his brothers with a gang of neighborhood men working with the new, aromatic white pine beams and boards. By the time my father was old enough to pitch hay and clean the stable, the siding was already weathered gray. This oxidized pine is a perfect protective coating and will last for centuries if the air is allowed to circulate around it. Barns have to breathe so that the hay will dry. They expand and contract with the weather and season. Because they are open, the creatures that take advantage of man’s presence make themselves welcome in the barn. This would include a whole community of lesser forms of life such as insects.
Probably the most obvious natural inhabitant is the barn swallow. Their cheerful chirps and graceful flight have great appeal. But they have more than aesthetic value. They eat a great many insects pests. I like their tight, metallic shapes. They make me think of a beautifully designed small aircraft which, indeed, they are. In August, every day is like one big happy Sunday school picnic. All of the families of swallows
gather to feed and play and prepare for the fall migration.” – Robert Bateman
Barn Swallows in August is available
Biography
Robert Bateman has been called the most famous living artist. He continues to paint and tour the world to promote conservation and preservation of nature. We have represented Robert Bateman for decades and are now the sole publisher and distributor of his reproductions. We are so honored to work with him and witness his success. He has made such a massive contribution to the art world and the natural world as an artist and educator of the earth’s most important resources.
Nature as a subject is becoming more and more popular as our environment is in peril. What better subject is there than the beautiful creatures we share this world with? Robert Bateman’s appreciation and understanding of nature are apparent in his paintings. He is able to paint flora and fauna the way your eye would perceive it in real life. It is important that the animal takes full attention. The background becomes muted, and therefore it doesn’t take too much focus away from the subject. His paintings seem effortless and masterful all at once.
Bateman’s eye for composition is unparalleled. Each painting is a composed like a symphony, leading the eye to wander. From the backyards of North America to the sprawling plains of Africa. Robert Bateman captures nature the way it should be enjoyed. Above all he is a champion of wildlife. For this reason he has become a household name for art collectors.
