1836
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Herring Gull is a 1836 ink by Robert Havell Jr., a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image shows two herring gulls in flight over a rocky shore. One gull soars high with its wings spread wide, while the other glides lower near the water. Below them, seashells and seaweed cover the rocks, and the sky is painted with soft clouds. The artist used fine lines and shading to make the feathers look real. This kind of detail was important in scientific illustrations of the time. Look up engraving, cross-hatching to see how artists create texture like this.
The Havell family of Reading, Berkshire, England, included a number of notable engravers, etchers and painters, as well as writers, publishers, educators, and musicians.
See the richer artist page
