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Greg Turissini Writing Assignment 12November 8, 2011

John James Audubon’s Birds of America,—also known as the or “Double Elephant Folio”

—, includes prints of hundreds of North American birds. Audubon’s portrayal of the whip-poor-

will bird is an extraordinary piece of artwork. Yet, through closer analysis of Audubon’s painting,

the “telos”, or Audubon’s end goal, is evident. Audubon’s utilization of color, detail, placement,

and orientation depicts the whip-poor-will birds in their most natural position, challenging if

whether or not human self-reliance and imagination can transcend prior knowledge and

understanding of the natural setting.

The oversized pages of the “Double Elephant Folio” are crucial to deciphering the telos of

the painting. Initially, it is reasonable to suggest that Audubon’s painting is large-scale. The

surface area of the page, as well as the print itself, measures approximately nine square feet. In

comparison to the common bird, the size whip-poor-will appears to be realistic. The butterflies,

caterpillar, and leaves—similar to those of an oak—are also life-size. This large-scale portrayal of

the objects, are juxtaposed by the small-scale representation of the print’s detail. The dark,

powerful veins shoot through the leaves like a drop of die diffusing in water. Each and every

feather is transcribed onto the painting with painstaking effort. Even the composition of the tree

branch, seemingly insignificant in comparison to its vivid environment, possesses character

through line and color. The overall effect of the detailing is not to depict the whip-poor-will as just

a bird, but instead, to generate the archetypical bird for that particular species—as a tool for

comparison to differentiate between other birds. David Freedberg stated that the development of

the microscope permitted the operator to discover “the insides of things, rather than on their

surfaces and outward appearances.”1 In turn, botanical illustrators sought after the most accurate

1 David Freedberg, “Introduction, and The Doctor’s Dilemmas,” in The eye of the Lynx: Galileo, his friends, and the beginnings of modern natural history, 1-10, 275-304, 456-461, (Chicago: Univesity of Chicago Press, 2002) 7.

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illustrations, diving deeper beyond the visual on the surface. Audubon’s illustration of realistic,

life-size nature, in collaboration with the precise, specific detail, expresses his goal of depicting

nature in its most natural state and habitat.

As diverse and varied as Audubon’s painting is, the primary emphasis is centered on the

three whip-poor-will birds. While no single insect, bird, or plant dominates the painting, the

emphasis is on behavior, not magnitude. The painting reveals the lifelike representation of the

many aspects of the whip-poor-will manners. These actions include the top right bird hunting

down a butterfly, the bottom left bird perched on a branch—deep in contemplation. The bottom

right bird appears to be glancing up at the soaring bird, perhaps in pursuit of the soaring bird,

waiting to partake in the quest for a bountiful meal. I initially thought that the extraordinarily

vibrant colors of the butterflies overpowered the drab, monotonous colors of the birds. The deep

black, brown, and grey colors, though unattractive and disagreeable, appeal to the rationality of the

birds. In addition, the size, number, and variance of conduct—of the birds dominate both the

butterflies and the surrounding plant growth.

The composition of Audubon’s painting is both unbalanced and asymmetrical. The

motivation for the portrayal of this deranged composition reflects the need to depict the whip-

poor-will birds in their most natural environment. We humans seek to organize and categorize the

uncontrollable and disorderly world that we live in. Aspects such as balance and symmetry would

produce order in the print. Order does not evoke emotion quite like disorder does. Disorder

challenges the human mind, forcing its will upon the imagination. Those who are gazing at the

folio’s massive pages can utilize the print to begin developing the birds’ natural habitat. But

beyond this habitat lies a natural setting waiting to be created by the observer. The print only

provides a small sampling of this disorder, as the rest is left for the imagination conjure up.

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The employment of color in Audubon’s painting of the whip-poor-will birds, butterflies,

and caterpillar, is not deliberate. The colors utilized were not premeditated—in the sense that

certain colors are often overemphasized and exaggerated, carrying a weighty, symbolic meaning.

The unintentional absence of significance of color reflects the drive behind John James Audubon’s

objective: the realistic depiction of nature.

However, juxtaposed to the unintentional and insignificant coloring of the non-botanical

organisms is the purposeful coloring of the leaves. The differing shades of green and yellow oak

leaves are seldom identical. My immediate reaction to the diversity in shading was to search for a

light source—altering the shade of the leaves. But I could not find this non-existent source of light.

Unlike the coloring of the non-botanical organisms, where the primary goal was to designate the

archetypical species, the goal of the differing leaf color was to confirm the distinctiveness of the

plant life. Audubon, painting in the post-Linnaean era, most likely knew that color had no place in

botanical illustration, except to fulfill “other functions in botanical illustrations..”2 This notion is

confirmed by the delegation of the leaves to the background of the painting.

Depth of field often plays a vital role in the development of a painting’s telos. Audubon’s

painting falls short of producing an illusion of depth; in fact, the apparent lack of depth is striking.

In the foreground, the three whip-poor-will birds, the two butterflies, and the long tree branch

clutter the frame—noticeable—yet failing to. Not one object in the foreground captures the full

attention of the viewerobserver. The middle ground and background, coupled as one distinct

consortium of leaves, dominate the frame. Analysis of both the background and foreground reveal

that the leaves are only present in the background, while all of the non-botanical creatures—the

birds, butterflies, and caterpillar—reside in the foreground. This jarring placement of the botanical

versus non-botanical organisms exposes Audubon’s desire to display the non-botanical organisms

2 Karin Nickelsen, "Draughtsmen, Botanists and Nature: Constructing Eighteenth-Century Botanical Illustrations," in Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, (2006), 2.

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in their most natural state and habitat, and ultimately, disclosing that the emphasis is on the whip-

poor-wills, not the plants.

The whip-poor-will print’s soft, yet rich color palate induces an emotional response of both

serenity and tranquility. This scene of calmness is juxtaposed to the demonstration of dynamism

and movement. The appearance of motion is reserved for the birds and insects: two butterflies are

flying without purpose; one whip-poor-will rips through the painting with the utmost

concentration. The print is muddled with motion and vitality; however, the temperate color

scheme ultimately trumps the dynamism of the organisms. I initially found this troublesome, as

animation and liveliness almost always dictates the mood and emotion conveyed through a

painting. Conversely, the emotional response of serenity and tranquility stems from the absence of

a diverse environment. Audubon selected a blank white background for the painting, disinclined to

include any aspect of the sublime that could detract from the primary purpose: the depiction of the

whip-poor-wills in their natural environment.

Unlike Audubon, many naturalists and draughtsmen attempted to depict the natural

environment through the copying, modification, and replication of model botanical illustrations.3

Audubon’s realistic portrayal of the whip-poor-wills is not a product of this modification.

ConverselyOn the contrary, Audubon displays the diachronic progression of the different phases

of the birds’ behavior in one singular painting. Rather than just attempting to illustrate three whip-

poor-wills interacting with each other, Audubon’s conveys the various stages of development, the

actions of the birds, the food that they eat, and the environment that they dwell in. In essence,

Audubon is simplifying the entire ecosystem of the whip-poor-wills, condensing it all into one a

single painting.

3 Karin Nickelsen, "Draughtsmen, Botanists and Nature: Constructing Eighteenth-Century Botanical Illustrations," in Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, (2006), 1-25.

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John James Audubon’s print of the whip-poor-wills’ environment and natural setting

challenges the imagination. Once I came to the realization that the print expressed only an inkling

of the entire whip-poor-will ecosystem, I began to conjureconjured up m my own interpretation on

of that which lies beyond what Audubon painted. Connected to the branch is a tree trunk, adjacent

to the tree is another tree—perhaps of a different species. Audubon’s painting carries implications

beyond the understanding of human capacity. What I mean by this is that when we utilize our

imagination to invoke preconceived notions of the nature Audubon has projected, we can develop

an infinite amount of possible outcomes for the ecosystem. Indeed, Audubon’s realistic depiction

of the North American wildlife challenged prior assumptions of the environment and nature.

Europeans of yesterday were taken aback, while humans of today are in awe—for the infinite

seldom reconciles with that of the past.

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-----Original Message-----From: Christopher Tamasi 15Sent: Tue 11/8/2011 8:19 PMTo: Ariana Twomey 15; Gregory Turissini 15Subject: Audobon Paper

Hey fellow EwN scholars,

I have attached the opening/closing paragraphs to my essay. Look forward to hearing your feedback!

Let Mother Nature be with You Always,

Christopher Tamasi

-----Original Message-----From: Ariana Twomey 15Sent: Tue 11/8/2011 8:44 PMTo: Christopher Tamasi 15; Gregory Turissini 15Subject: RE: Audobon Paper

Here are mine...even though you both already had the pleasure of reading them in class.Ari

-----Original Message-----From: Gregory Turissini 15Sent: Tue 11/8/2011 10:18 PMTo: Ariana Twomey 15; Christopher Tamasi 15Subject: RE: Audobon Paper

I know you'll both be itching to find out what lies between these....

-Greg

-----Original Message-----From: Gregory Turissini 15Sent: Tue 11/8/2011 11:01 PMTo: Ariana Twomey 15Subject: RE: Audobon Paper

Hey Ari-

Here’s what I wrote and thought about your essay:

Introductory Paragraph.Positive Emotion = Intrigued (second and third sentences)- I was impressed with your utilization of Cesi and the Linceans from Freedberg. I highly doubt that many others attempted to incorporate his thoughts into their essays. I know that it didn’t even cross my mind. You showed a lot of confidence in your writing ability by using such great detail in an opening paragraph.Negative Emotion = Flustered (not included)- Without looking at the body paragraphs, I’m sure you’ll talk about the balance, color, line, and other aspects of Audubon’s painting, and how these details relate to your thesis. But you make no mention of these specific aspects in your introduction. Your thesis can only be bolstered through the analysis of these various aspects.

Concluding Paragraph.Positive Emotion = Satisfied (third sentence)- I was a little wary after reading your thesis, but the conclusion did a fantastic job of answering any lasting questions I had. I would like to know a little bit more about the specific inaccuracies of the print, but I guess I’ll have to read the

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entire essay.Negative Emotion = Upset (last sentence)- Overall this was a well-written conclusion, that is until the clause, “Audubon’s piece is a success, that would undoubtedly change the world of natural history forever”. This general, vague, somewhat universal phrase attempts to quickly sum-up the essay. Were you originally trying to gauge whether or not the paining is successful or not? And what is the measurement of this success? And you state that it will “change the world forever”. This just leaves room for too much ambiguity and kind of left me wondering if you had anything else to say about this.

Issues that I hope you address:- More specifically, I hope that you address how Audubon will enrich both art and science fields, despite inaccuracy. Your conclusion does touch on this, but hopefully you will achieve this through a close analysis of the print.

Pitfalls that I hope you avoid:- Generalization. At times, your introductory and concluding paragraphs were somewhat vague. The focus of the essay should center on the painting itself. Further implications of the painting and what Audubon did are crucial, but analysis and detail should help formulate those repercussions.

Hope this helps,Greg

From: Ariana Twomey 15 Sent: Wed 11/9/2011 11:20 AMTo: Gregory Turissini 15 Subject: RE: Audobon Paper

I dont have much...but good job! i think its pretty good!

Intro:I was content, with the layout and of you intro. You provided a list of examples, (color, detail, placement and orientation) to explore in your body paragraphs.

But, I was a little confused and uncertain of what your main argument was exactly. I think my issue in understanding your thesis stems from the last sentence. The phrase “whether or not” is a little unclear, cause your leaving your reader not knowing which side of the statement you are planning to argue. Perhaps that was intentional...i don’t know.

Conclusion:All positives! i thought you did a great job touching upon what you had mentioned in your intro, but then taking it even farther by including your own experience with the piece.

From: Ariana Twomey 15 Sent: Wed 11/9/2011 11:29 AMTo: Gregory Turissini 15 Subject: RE: Audobon Paper

Hey Greg,I left out some things in my other email...

What I hope you do:If the into was to be left as is i hope you would formulate a clear and consise argument over the course of the paper. With the help of Nickelson and Freedburg I hope you will discuss further each of the elements discussed in your intro that help to show the birds in their natural environments.

What i hope you stay away from:With a topic linked to imagination it can be easy to stray away from concrete examples. Use the imaginatition piece to prove your point but stay grounded with textual evidence.

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-----Original Message-----From: Christopher Tamasi 15Sent: Wed 11/9/2011 11:41 AMTo: Gregory Turissini 15Subject: RE: Audobon Paper

Greg,

Intro:Positive: Impressed; Significant description of true goal of Audobon’s painting. Clean-cut layout of what you plan on talking about throughout the course of your paper.

Negative: Confused; The first sentence seems to be too much information jam packed into one sentence and could use some revision to read more clearly. I was lost with the reference of  “telos” and wasn’t clear of its significance.

Conclusion:

Positive: Interested; I was intrigued by your imagination putting a new spin on Audobon’s painting. I felt this as you developed your new idea in the second sentence. Satisfied; I thought that bringing in this outlook on the painting sends readers of pondering Audobon’s style in a different way and that is exactly a feeling a writer should want to give.

Negative: ??(Can’t find a word!) but…Grammatical errors, “I began to conjure up m own interpretation”. Avoid passive voice to explain your thoughts, “What I mean by this…”

*** Based off the introduction, I plan on you discussing exactly what is outlined in the first paragraph, “Audubon’s utilization of color, detail, placement, and orientation”, and expect that it will be linked to your thesis. The only possible pitfall I can see you making is going too far off track with your imagination and losing the reader…I have faith that the bulk of your paper strengthens your argument through great ideas being drawn from Audobon’s painting.

<3 Chris

-----Original Message-----From: Gregory Turissini 15Sent: Wed 11/9/2011 1:12 PMTo: Christopher Tamasi 15Subject: RE: Audobon Paper

Thanks for the comments Chris.

Here’s what I wrote and thought about your essay:

Introductory Paragraph.Positive Emotion = Excited (last sentence)-  Your first paragraph does an excellent job of starting broad, as you talk about how even the size of the page compares to other scientific illustrations of the same time. Your last sentence, presumably part of your thesis is somewhat open ended. This left me on edge, wondering where you were going to go next with this.Negative Emotion = Confused (last sentence)- I think the one negative emotion that I felt from this paragraph correlated to the ambiguity of the last sentence. A stronger thesis statement might direct the flow of the essay better. I think it’s missing the “how”.Concluding Paragraph.Positive Emotion = Fulfilled (first sentence)- Yes! Your first sentence is brilliant! Don’t attempt to change it! You are questioning the future implications of Audubon’s painting. Then you answer the question in the second sentence.Negative Emotion = Displeased (general statement)- Get rid of the use of one. It really distances the reader.

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Issues that I hope you address:- Hopefully your body paragraphs were working toward answering the question in your conclusion, “of whether or not the artist is attempting to convey scientific information, or painting for pleasure alone?” and how they “tipped in favor towards the conveyance of scientific knowledge”.Pitfalls that I hope you avoid:- I’m having trouble finding any pitfalls for you essay Chris. I think if there was one pitfall, I’d say that you should include lots of analysis. Your introductory paragraph says that you will analyze the purpose of Audubon’s painting, but you don’t necessary state how you will go about doing this.

From: Christopher Tamasi 15 Sent: Wed 11/9/2011 11:57 PMTo: Gregory Turissini 15Subject: RE: Audobon Paper

Hey Greg,

Thanks for your thoughtful comments, I really appreciate your honesty and think it will aid my paper as a whole. I will definitely take a deeper look at how I can give more strength to my thesis to complete my first paragraph. I will also look through the use of "one" in my final sentences and make the proper changes. Thanks for all your input, let me know if there is anything more I can do for you.

EwN 4 Lyfeee,

Chris

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