Malay Argus Pheasant 1918 - 1922

Archibald Thorburn made this image of a Malay Argus Pheasant, but the date it was made is unknown. It’s got a great sense of tone and color. You know, when you look at it, you can imagine the artist really trying to capture all the details on those feathers. The work is so detailed, it makes me think about the patient process of building up the colors layer by layer. I can imagine Archibald carefully layering the pigment, trying to find the right shade of brown for the feathers, the right blue for the head. You can imagine him pausing to look at the pheasant, then back at his work, trying to get it just right. It almost feels like he's capturing a moment, like a photograph. But of course, painting is different, it's about time and labor, the slow accumulation of marks. It's not just about what you see, but about how you see it, how you transform it through paint. And that's what makes it so special.