Two Exotic Birds 1762

Curator: So, we have here Aert Schouman's "Two Exotic Birds," painted in 1762, using watercolor and coloured pencil— a mixed-media approach. It currently resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Gosh, they are lovely! I'm struck by the orange bird. It looks so quizzical, as if asking a question with its upward-pointing beak. The smaller, greener bird beside it seems more pensive, as though deep in thought. What an interesting conversation they must be having. Curator: Absolutely! Schouman had an aviary and was prolific in this subject matter. Look at the detail in the larger bird's plumage and its curious head-crest; there is great care in replicating texture, no doubt through layering paint and perhaps a dry-brush technique. Considering this level of craft and access to these avian specimens, one has to consider class and commerce during the mid-18th century. Editor: Right, a luxurious study indeed! The colours, though muted, carry such an intrinsic beauty—the rust and fawn blending seamlessly, evoking the serenity of an untamed natural setting. They make me imagine a balmy island breeze... or a whispered secret shared amidst tropical leaves. Curator: The landscapes in Schouman’s work certainly provide more than mere backdrop, although somewhat indistinct, they do add to a sense of environmentalism and an ecosystem, even on the periphery of the focal point. The method allows us to also question authenticity, what we think of these birds against a somewhat imagined habitat; is the work then an example of invention or of genuine natural history? Editor: Well, it feels wonderfully timeless. Even today, they offer a reminder of the joy to be found simply by looking closely. Perhaps they are indeed "exotic," from a bygone era now, yet somehow deeply familiar. Curator: In light of such reflections, the beauty in examining these kinds of works lies in identifying the methods and origins of their creation; which allow us to question production and provenance further. Editor: Precisely! And isn’t it delightful to get lost in the feathered details, the quietude they invoke?