Wounded Gull 1943

Morris Graves made this painting of a Wounded Gull, using gouache on paper. Graves was associated with the Northwest School of artists, who focused on spiritual subject matter that connected with Asian art and philosophy. The gull, a common sight on the Pacific Northwest coast where Graves lived, is here rendered in a state of obvious distress. The bird is set against a dark background streaked with red, suggesting either wounds or a sunset. The painting can be read as a commentary on the environmental destruction of the mid-20th century. Graves was deeply concerned about the impact of human activity on the natural world and we might research the ways in which industrial development and urbanization threatened local bird populations at that time. The image is powerful because of its simplicity and directness. The wounded gull becomes a symbol of the vulnerability of all living things in the face of human progress.