Red-Legged Partridge 1907

Here is the Red-Legged Partridge, painted in 1907 by Archibald Thorburn. Imagine Thorburn, patiently watching the bird to capture its exact likeness with fluid strokes of watercolour, as though the bird itself emerges from the paper. The light brushstrokes create soft textures and a sense of atmosphere, inviting you to step into the scene. He must have loved this little bird, to spend so long perfecting its plumage, which catches the light. The way it stands so proudly in its little world, with its beady eye. I always think when I'm painting, how can I share my vision, my way of seeing. But maybe Thorburn wasn't thinking that at all; maybe he just loved painting birds. Like any painter, Thorburn stands on the shoulders of those who came before, in a long, rich conversation that stretches back centuries. And though we all have our own voice, our own way of seeing, we’re all just trying to capture something of the world around us.