Fenwick Lansdowne, 71, described as the world's foremost painter of birds & successor to John James Audubon
ZapRatz
Fenwick Lansdowne considered a giant in avian artistry
Tom McMillan, Times Colonist
Published: Monday, July 28, 2008
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=04520281-fe49-442e-a2db-e573a08984e7
http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/idl/vitc/20080728/125129-42907.jpg?size=l
Fenwick Lansdowne's work was shown at venues including the Smithsonian
Institution and Audubon House in New York.
Fenwick Lansdowne, a Victoria artist described as the world's foremost
painter of birds, has died.
Lansdowne, whose paintings were exhibited around the world and whose
work was presented to the Royal Family, was 71. He died of unknown
causes yesterday.
Lansdowne was often described as the successor to John James Audubon,
the 19th-century painter who was North America's best known wildlife
artist. "[Lansdowne] is the premier illustrator of birds in the world
today," said S. Dillon Ripley, secretary emeritus of the Smithsonian
Institution, where Lansdowne's work was shown in 1977.
Born in Hong Kong in 1937, Lansdowne was left partially paralyzed
after he had polio when he was 10 months old. He immigrated with his
mother, Edith, to Victoria in 1940.
Edith was an artist who mainly specialized in painting ceramic birds,
yet Lansdowne received no formal art training, a fact he later
regretted. He had been advised that attending art school would spoil
his natural talent.
"His mother gave him some supplies and he liked feeding birds outside
his bedroom window," said Graeme Roberts, who knew "Fen" as a child.
"That's how it all started."
Lansdowne debuted his first solo show at the Royal Ontario Museum in
1956. Critics marvelled at the fidelity of colour and detail in the
19-year-old's work.
"His potential was noticed almost immediately," said Robert Amos, a
Victoria artist and the Times Colonist art writer. "His career took
off."
Lansdowne's works were displayed at Audubon House in New York, the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Royal Ontario Museum,
the American Museum of Natural History in Chicago, the National Museum
of Science in Ottawa and Beijing's Cultural Palace of Nationalities.
From 1975 to 1987, he had annual exhibits at the Yawkey Woodson Art
Museum in Wisconsin, the Holy Grail of bird art. He received an
honorary doctorate from the University of Victoria and in 1995 was
awarded the Order of Canada.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, wrote the foreword to Lansdowne's
Birds of the West Coast: Volume Two.
"Fenwick Lansdowne has the exceptional ability to capture such moment
with a seemingly effortless assurance, but which can only come from
intimate knowledge, immense care and remarkable talent."
Despite the international renown, Lansdowne's studio was a small,
sparsely furnished cottage in Oak Bay. There, he would use bird
"skins," a few pencil sketches and memory to create his lifelike
paintings.
One of his most ambitious projects was a 10-year commission for a
32-print collection of China's endangered birds in 1984 that became a
book, Rare Birds of China.
"I always thought it fascinating that he painted this outstanding
portfolio on endangered birds in China from his quiet studio on
Victoria Avenue," Amos said.
Victoria artists remember Lansdowne as a private, humble man who
disliked special attention. In 2004, he agreed to be honorary chairman
for the Rocky Point Bird Observatory, a migration observation group
near Nanaimo.
Lansdowne is survived by his wife, Helen, son, Tristram, and daughter,
Emma.
"He was a superb artist and a superb man -- a kind soul that will
definitely be remembered," said Kathryn Amisson, who worked with
Lansdowne at an annual painting summit in Campbell River. "It is a
loss for us all."
--
Extirpirate - a portmanteau of extirpate and pirate
http://www.extirpirate.com/
As of the day this message is being posted there are,
lacking an unexpected alternate outcome, 175 days
remaining in the imperial presidency of George W. Bush