Mycteria ibis (Yellow-billed stork) Possibly 1778

Editor: So, this is "Mycteria ibis (Yellow-billed stork)", possibly from 1778, by Robert Jacob Gordon. It's a watercolor and ink drawing on paper. It strikes me as something between a scientific illustration and a travel journal entry. What do you make of it? Curator: It does have that air of both documentation and lived experience, doesn't it? What intrigues me most is how Gordon uses the supposed objectivity of scientific rendering as a veil for subjective encounter. Notice how the stark, almost clinical, depiction of the stork contrasts with the loose, evocative rendering of its habitat. Editor: I see what you mean. The bird is so precisely drawn, almost diagrammatic, while the landscape feels more gestural, impressionistic even. Curator: Exactly. The numbers and script are meant to categorize and contain. But I get a feeling the artist deeply appreciates this bird’s existence, and tries to capture more than just physical data, like how its red face and long beak juxtaposes its calm attitude on that thin leg. Can you feel its essence almost escaping the confines of the page? Editor: Absolutely! It's as if Gordon is trying to hold onto something fleeting. I didn’t notice it until now, but it looks like he even added a handwritten measurement ruler on the right. Curator: I think that adds an intriguing detail of the field research and allows him to categorize even more dimensions of the birds presence. Editor: It's funny how this supposedly objective image ends up feeling so personal and… dare I say it… poetic. I love the blend between rational cataloguing, artistic touch and subjective recording. Curator: It shows that these two don’t need to be so distant, which is often what most art embodies to some degree. Thank you, as always, for helping me think through this Gordon's approach today! Editor: The pleasure was all mine. This little yellow-billed stork gave us a lot to reflect upon, didn't it?