1833
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Barn Swallow is a 1833 ink by Robert Havell Jr., a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image shows two barn swallows perched near their mud nest. The male bird is mid-flight, wings spread wide, while the female sits inside the nest, which looks like a small mud cup with twigs sticking out. The birds have bright rusty chests and deep blue backs, and the nest is attached to a rough wooden beam. The artist paid close attention to the birds’ feathers and the nest’s texture, making everything look detailed and real. The colors pop against the plain background, drawing your eye right to the birds. If you like this kind of close-up nature art, look into engraving to see how artists like this made such sharp, precise images.
The Havell family of Reading, Berkshire, England, included a number of notable engravers, etchers and painters, as well as writers, publishers, educators, and musicians.
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