PEORIA -- Lakeview Museum's latest exhibit, John James Audubon, American Artist and Naturalist, is a must see display that closes on Jan. 9. So hurry.
It's a brilliant presentation of Audubon's many works, from oil paintings and watercolors to his famous prints. All are true works of art, with interpretations of nature as well as exacting details of the birds and mammals Audubon depicts.
The exhibit notes on Audubon and his life, work and family are well done and once again reveal the struggles of the artist. After his death, most of the copper plates he used were sold for scrap, to support his widow and family.
The works themselves are amazing, from oil paintings of a buffalo and Daniel Boon to watercolors of birds and mammals, and the drawings and prints. You'll even learn a new word, "Viviparous," from The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America, Audubon's collection of lithographs of mammals published in three volumes in 1845.
(Viviparous means giving birth to living offspring that develop within the mother's body.)
Many of the prints depict dramatic scenes, as birds encounter snakes or subdue prey. Audubon presents the raw cruelty of nature as well as its beauty.
Allow at least an hour, maybe longer, to study this excellent exhibit.
-- Elaine Hopkins
Comments