Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

John James Audubon’s Entire ‘Birds of America’ Now Downloadable

The illustrations of 19-century ornithologist John James Audubon are some of the most influential paintings of nature in both science and fine art. Now, all 435 of his "Birds of America" watercolors are available for free, hi-res downloading. From the American Avocet to the Zenaida Dove, each was produced from hand-engraved plates, works originally printed between 1827 and 1838.

The illustrations of 19-century ornithologist John James Audubon are some of the most influential paintings of nature in both science and fine art. Now, all 435 of his “Birds of America” watercolors are available for free, hi-res downloading. From the American Avocet to the Zenaida Dove, each was produced from hand-engraved plates, works originally printed between 1827 and 1838.

Today, the National Audubon Society says the figure was “not the first person to attempt to paint and describe all the birds of America (Alexander Wilson has that distinction), but for half a century he was the young country’s dominant wildlife artist. His seminal Birds of America, a collection of 435 life-size prints, quickly eclipsed Wilson’s work and is still a standard against which 20th and 21st century bird artists, such as Roger Tory Peterson and David Sibley, are measured.”

Find the downloadable works here.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
British-Iranian artist Nikoo Bafti crafts vibrant scenes that represent Mother Nature, pulling inspiration from varying mythologies. The artist's background includes studies in illustration, with time spent animation development at Disney Channels in London before she embarked on a career in personal and freelance work.
New Delhi-based illustrator Archan Nair creates fluorescent digital art with a painterly effect. Nair composes kaleidoscopic images that resemble Rorschach ink blots. Wisps of color tumble like clouds of pigment in water, creating nebulous shapes that morph into one another. His work has a psychedelic quality evocative of the spiritually-focused visionary art movement, which borrows heavily from Hindu iconography in particular. While human subjects are at the center of Nair's work, he melts figurative elements into textured, abstract designs and otherworldly visuals.
theory_of_strings Polish artist Jacek Yerka's paintings invite us into a world where things are not what they seem. Caves turn into gaping dragons' mouths, houses float above the clouds, and gardens become seemingly infinite puzzles of time and space. The artist blurs the boundaries between the biological and the mechanical, creating strange hybrids of animals, architecture, and geological formations. Yerka began his career making band posters in the 1970s and has been exhibiting his work in Poland for decades.
Houston artist/illustrator Stephen Bower offers a new collection of images that tell of an impending “Technocratic Dystopia.” His new show of Copro Gallery in Santa Monica, titled "Visions of a Terminal Reality," taps into the political and social commentary laced throughout his intricate ink illustrations. In particular, the show seems to act as a sci-fi-tinged examination of where our currently reality could actually be headed. It kicks off today and runs through June 10.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List