Staande zwarte kip 1775 - 1833

Jean Bernard made this watercolor of a black chicken sometime before his death in 1833. The material qualities here are simple: watercolor on paper. Yet, in their seeming simplicity, they reflect a world in which even barnyard fowl were becoming objects of scientific scrutiny, and, of course, of agricultural production. Bernard's technique is meticulous. Look at the way he evokes the textures of the chicken’s feathers, with carefully applied washes of pigment. Consider the time taken to make such a rendering! This wasn't merely a quick sketch. Instead, it was a sustained engagement with the animal as an object of study. In this light, even an unassuming work like this invites us to consider the relationship between artistic observation and the changing status of animals within a modernizing economy. The drawing may seem far removed from the factory floor, but it shares the same spirit of rationalization. It reminds us that the impulse to categorize and understand is always shaped by social context.