Magpies 1905

Curator: Archibald Thorburn's "Magpies," created in 1905, presents us with a detailed watercolour scene from a private collection. The artist really captures something wild about the birds. Editor: There’s something almost melancholic about it to me, though. The warm tones of the undergrowth and the bird's inquisitive posture gives a subtle, sad tone to the watercolor. What grabs my attention immediately is the rendering of the feathers. Curator: Indeed, observe the artist’s dedication to accurate depiction. Thorburn had a long career rendering natural life, including detailed ornithological illustration work. He achieves this sense of almost scientific accuracy by juxtaposing a bird perched higher up and at a distance versus this second figure depicted close up, really highlighting different shapes. Editor: But I'm intrigued by what we don’t see – what grounds were mixed with what minerals for the different paint colours? Watercolour can give the effect of luminosity, but I'm curious to know how much animal glue was used to bind the particles to the surface and whether handmade paper with varied texture may contribute to such vivid details. I always find the materials as evocative as the finished rendering itself. Curator: Your reading touches on intriguing aspects. Thorburn’s use of realism within landscape speaks to a specific artistic concern in that era, doesn't it? Consider the layering of brushstrokes. Notice how he builds up detail gradually, which creates a kind of structured spontaneity, capturing the bird’s quick movements? This attention is remarkable. Editor: And speaking of details, the artist made choices regarding their application based on his clientele. As part of the leisured class, their engagement and support influenced the artist and, thus, dictated what aspects of these pieces are deemed worthy of high artistic regard, shaping artistic conventions of the time. It speaks to something more than the picture itself. Curator: I can see what you’re getting at: class values and the structure of the art market shaped how and why this painting looks like this. Still, the precision with which the scene is constructed draws the eye into the subtle gradations of colour within each element, like how the warm, faded yellows, oranges and reds of the tree trunks emphasize the sharpness of the magpie's feathers. Editor: In essence, Thorburn, through this watercolor, delivers us to a specific juncture, offering us not only birds within a landscape, but rather also hinting at social practices through the way art gets to be done. Curator: A most insightful synthesis, providing an augmented context to Thorburn’s impressive watercolor. Editor: It certainly gives us a greater perspective into a very small pocket of history.