Description
Stream Bank – June – 12.875″ x 20″ – 950 Edition Signed and Numbered Paper Print
“This painting is the only one I have done based on a quotation from literature. A professor of ecology whom I have known for many years said that he felt that I was an ecological painter and that my work reminded him of a quote from Charles Darwin: “It is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent on each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us.” I found the words and the thoughts very beautiful and very wise. They have now become a part of my philosophy of life.
As far as I am concerned, the Planet Earth is the most wonderful thing in the universe. Its crowning glory is the natural world which is so varied and intricate and complex that we are only beginning to scratch the surface of an understanding of it. It is a great pity that we are wiping out sections of this sacred complexity due to our insensitivity and greed. These ideas are now a part of me as I view our natural world, and I do that every day.
In wandering about our property, I stopped to watch the little stream and listen to its sounds. My eyes moved up to the bank where, in the month of June, the plants were almost bursting with life and new growth. Although almost everything was green, they were all different greens due to the different species at different stages. There were countless little lives caught up in the complicated and dynamic web of life. Many of them so exuberantly growing on that day were doomed to failure. For example, most of the foliage in the picture is leaves of young, white ash trees. There is only room for about one adult tree, if that, in this mini-landscape. Therefore, most will succumb.
A decade after I painted this picture, the same spot had become unrecognizable. The species were different, the stream was altered, and a dead elm had crashed into the middle of it. The surprises and complexity are what is so exciting about the world of nature. This painting is my homage to that fact.” – Robert Bateman
Stream Bank – June 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.
