Pelicans 1850

Wilhelm Gentz made this sketch of six pelicans with graphite on paper. The drawings display an interest in naturalism, an aesthetic which, in Gentz’s time, became an important element in the institutionalisation of art. The study of nature had been a traditional element of European art training for centuries but, from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, it acquired an elevated status, particularly among German artists. At the time, there was a cultural investment in scientific observation as a tool for understanding the world and the artist's studio began to resemble the scientist's laboratory. Pelicans aren't native to Germany so Gentz might have made these studies in a zoo or during his travels in the Middle East and North Africa. Either way, this image demonstrates how the professional artist, with his sketchpad, became an important figure in the burgeoning field of scientific visual documentation. To understand the image more fully, art historians might consult sources such as the artist's travel diaries, letters, or other sketches.