Description
Cardinal and Wild Apples – 11 3/4″ x 17 5/8″ – 12183 Edition Signed and Numbered Paper Prints
“In a sense, this is a painting of wild apples which also happens to have a cardinal in it. I actually conceived the idea many years ago as one piece. In spite of, or perhaps because of, the cardinal’s popularity, I have limited myself to doing very few cardinal paintings. I have done a winter cardinal, a spring cardinal and a female cardinal (after all, one-half of the cardinals in the world are female). I cannot decide whether this is a summer or an autumn cardinal. Perhaps I will consider it late summer since I already have an idea for a painting of an autumn cardinal.
I chose apples to divert your eye from the cardinal, which is a blatant bird to say the least. It is one of my favourite birds, but it is very obvious, so I wanted to give it some competition with a few spectacular and juicy apples.
These apples were growing on my favourite apple tree in Ontario. This is a unique tree producing fruit unlike any I have tasted — sweet, aromatic, crisp, juicy and almost totally lacking in sourness . . . just to my taste.
All domestic apple trees come from grafting, not seeds. Every McIntosh apple comes from generations of twigs grafted from one tree on Mr. McIntosh’s farm near Toronto. It was a genetic sport or freak which had great success. My tree is also a genetic freak, but it will remain forever wild with its unsprayed and blemished fruit. I am reminded of the lyrics of singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell’s song, The Big Yellow Taxi. . . “give me spots on my apples but leave me the birds and the bees.” – Robert Bateman
Cardinal and Wild Apples 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.
