Blog Post #2: Drawing Analysis

 

 

Avian Skeleton

Untitled
George Stubbs
 Created between 1795-1806

The drawing I chose to closely examine is one created by George Stubbs of an avian skeleton. The picture initially caught my attention because of how eerie the image initially looked. Although skeletons are more commonly associated with the idea of death or science, the first thought I had about the drawing was how amazingly accurate the bones appeared. The shading the artist has created within the drawing gives the image such a sense of realism. The vertebrae of the bird depicted has so much detail, where the artist has chosen to highlight as well as use the effects of cross hatching to give areas of the bones depth

Closer image of stomach cavity

Stubbs’ drawing is not a contour drawing as there are aspects of shading and cross hatching present which gives the image an impression of weight and depth. The cross hatching within the picture occurs more often where the artist wanted to depict parts of the skeleton which had less access to light, like inside the joints and the bones located within the stomach cavity. In addition to cross hatching there are more areas of the drawing which the artist used the technique of hatching (lines do not cross). The hatching can be found throughout the drawing but are more noticeable in the darker areas found towards the bottom of the bones.  Stubbs’ drawing does not depict a background or middle ground, it does illustrate a foreground which is the avian skeleton.  When closely observing the stomach cavity of the skeleton the viewer is able to see the artist play on the concept of overlapping. The artist specifically depicts certain bones in front of other ones to distinguish the relative distance between the bones which in turns contributes to the drawings accuracy and overall realistic look.


Link to Drawing on Google Art Project