Common Scoter 1913

Archibald Thorburn created this image of Common Scoters using watercolor and gouache in the late 19th and early 20th century. Look closely, and you'll see how the properties of the paint itself influences the appearance. Watercolor is very thin, so it’s good for rendering the atmospheric sky and reflecting water. Gouache, on the other hand, is opaque and allows for dense, built-up textures, which is great for defining the texture of the birds’ feathers. Thorburn would have relied on the knowledge of pigments and their properties to create a vivid rendering that would both artistically communicate the beauty of the birds and create a scientifically accurate representation of the birds for study. The image would have been widely reproduced by printing technologies, making it accessible to a broad audience. Next time you look at a painting, think about how the choice of materials and making processes affects not only what the artwork looks like, but also how it circulates in society.