Description
Gatekeeper – 12 x 17; Offset Paper; Edition Size 1500; $90.00 U.S.
“This is the gate to one of the original Bateman farms. It was the next farm to my father’s and belonged to his uncle. It is still an operating farm, in Bateman hands. I like to think of my father as a boy,
opening the gate and going through to the barn, perhaps to join his cousins in helping with the haying. Undoubtedly on that day, the ancestor
of this little wren would be scolding the intruder or exuberantly singing an ode to his
territory.
The house wren, male and female, are indistinguishable to my eyes though presumably not to their eyes. But the male does the singing. The song is described as rolling, rattling, bubbling, liquid trills generally seeming to descend. To me it is the unmusical music of a spring day in the rural countryside. To me, it is the unmusical music of a spring day in the rural countryside.
It is entirely bucolic.
The female does the scolding and I am told the picking of the “house”. This house can be a old tin can, a hole in a apple tree or, as in one of my favorite Audubon prints, a discarded hat. however, generations of bird lovers have eagerly built bird houses which are almost as eagerly accepted by those little birds. actually, the male may do some scolding as well; it is hard for me to tell. At any rate, the busy pair are metaphorical gatekeepers to their territory and they declare it in their own way.” – Robert Bateman
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.
