Hunched Bird Looking Upward; verso: blank c. 18th century

Curator: This is Jean-Baptiste Oudry's "Hunched Bird Looking Upward," a delicate drawing residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. The piece lacks a specific date but offers insight into the artist's study of the natural world. Editor: Oh, there's a hesitant sort of beauty to it, isn’t there? Like a pastel dream taking flight on aged paper. It’s as if the bird is about to take flight towards some unknown adventure. Curator: Oudry was known for his animal paintings, often commissioned by the French aristocracy. These pieces were studies reflecting an interest in the animal kingdom as well as an aesthetic appreciation for their varied beauty. Editor: The light, almost watery application of color gives the bird such a fragile, transient feel, like it’s barely tethered to the paper. I get a sense of longing from its upturned gaze. What do you see when you look at it? Curator: For me, it’s about the intersection of art and science that occurred during the Enlightenment. Oudry's detailed observation aligns with the era’s focus on empirical study and classification of the natural world. Editor: I like that! So, it’s more than just a pretty bird; it’s a small window into a much bigger world, both artistically and scientifically. Curator: Precisely. And the fact that it's a study, almost unfinished, allows us to glimpse the artist's working process. Editor: A process fueled, it seems, by a quiet wonder.