Clamator jacobinus (Jacobin cuckoo) Possibly 1777 - 1786

Editor: So, here we have a watercolor drawing, possibly created between 1777 and 1786, of a Jacobin cuckoo by Robert Jacob Gordon. It feels very... scientific, like a page ripped from a naturalist's field journal. What leaps out at you? Curator: Oh, isn’t it striking? It’s more than just a record; it's an encounter. Imagine Gordon, out there, sketchbook in hand, suddenly meeting this creature. I bet that intense gaze – *his* gaze trying to capture *its* essence – transformed that blank page into a mirror reflecting the very act of seeing! Have you ever tried capturing something's very being with a brush, I mean beyond appearance? Editor: I have! It's almost impossible! So, do you think the goal was to be scientifically accurate, or something else? Curator: Accurate, yes, but isn't there a kind of personality shining through? Look at the slight tilt of the head, the confident posture... almost regal. He isn't just showing us a bird; he's introducing us to a character. The crisp realism only emphasizes the bird's distinct, uhm, bird-ness, yes? It's an alchemical combination, this rendering a feeling from cold observation! And where was this painted? It probably doesn't look like a lot of art we have displayed today... what does this artwork tell you of our current world, I mean, truly. Editor: True. It's incredibly detailed and feels...present. Like I could reach out and touch it. It definitely sparks an interest in where this bird may roam. Curator: Exactly! So we’re not merely observers anymore. And for Gordon, a colonial soldier, naturalist, explorer... maybe through this bird he himself also longed for true liberation, for absolute freedom, unbound to human ideas and structures... Thank you. I learned things today as well.