Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Celebrating John J. Audubon



Wildlife artist John James Audubon was born on this day in 1785.  His paintings and descriptions of the birds of America are familiar to and appreciated by birders everywhere.  While he is one of the most famous avian illustrators, he is not one of the founders of the Audubon Society.  His name was chosen because his work inspired the organization's efforts to protect birds and their habitats. 

Some links we'll be using today to learn about the man and his life's work:

Enchanted Learning's Audubon page and coloring pages of several of his paintings.


New York Historical Society's Audubon's Aviary exhibit mp3s and images

The National Gallery of Art's information and images

Other resources:

The Boy Who Drew Birds, by Jacqueline Davies with illustrations by Melissa Sweet



Birds of America, by John J. Audubon


John James Audubon: Drawn from Nature (2006) on Netflix Streaming


6 comments:

Sheltie Times said...

His work is amazing. It is a great way to demonstrate the connection between art and science.

Kaecey said...

Thanks for sharing this! I did not know it was his birthday - my kids are huge Audubon (and bird) fans. Heading over to the resources now... =D

l said...

We did our art appreciation today to celebrate his day! He was the next artisit we were supposed to study anyway!
Great links.

Christina said...

I was personally fascinated to read his biography! Our edition of Birds of America had a spread at the beginning that was all about his life.

Unknown said...

Thank you for this blog! I'm a fairly new HSer am always looking for ideas.

Christina said...

Kelly, thanks for stopping by, and welcome to homeschooling! Hope to see you around the lists/forums. : )