Standing Bird Looking Upward and Behind; verso: blank c. 18th century

Editor: This is Jean-Baptiste Oudry's "Standing Bird Looking Upward and Behind." What strikes me is the bird's open beak, almost mid-song. What do you think it is looking at, or perhaps singing to? Curator: Oh, I adore this one! Oudry captures a moment of pure avian reverie. The upward gaze, the throat stretched—it's longing, isn't it? Or maybe a challenge to the heavens! He was known for his animal paintings, and the detail is exquisite, but it also feels...unfinished, doesn't it? Editor: It does, in a way. Like a quick sketch capturing a fleeting moment. Curator: Exactly! A captured breath, a painted song. I think this gives us an amazing glimpse of his process.