Publisher's Synopsis
This dictionary of bird artists contains biographical information with illustrations. Approximately 5000 artists, past and present, who have made two-dimensional portraits of birds as the main motif in their paintings are included in this dictionary, with their biographical details.;Some artists painted large canvases filled with birds for an imaginary earthly paradise, while others made detailed studies of a single species. Many great masters painted a bird, and the specialist bird painters knew not only how to paint feathers, but also understood the birds' anatomical structure. These artists were given commissions to record newly-discovered species.;The variety of their approach is illustrated in some 1000 colour and black and white plates. The introduction surveys varying aspects of bird portraiture by different cultures. The artists' biographies, arranged alphabetically, include comments on their individual style and achievements. A list of galleries where their work may be viewed is also included. An additional benefit of the Dictionary is that sales and auctions of bird paintings in both salerooms and galleries during the past ten years are listed, with the prices realized.
