Hello All,
I was very fortunate to be living in Victoria, British Columbia a number of years ago when Robert Bateman held a gallery exhibition ( his first according to him ) at the Victoria Art Gallery which was about two blocks from where I lived.
Anyone who's ever heard Mr. Bateman speak quickly grasps that he takes strong exception to the view ( apparently widely held within the art community ) that hyper-realism is not art. Obviously - from a distance his paintings look like photographs and I think his conservative and incredibly clever use of the brush heightens that perception.
The paintings were almost all huge - one of a black panther ( jaguar? ) springs to mind - absolutely amazing you could practically feel the jungle.
I have a small print of a cardinal that I bought that evening that's incredible. Would have loved to buy an original but a bit out of my league I'm afraid
I cut my bird/wildlife drawing and painting teeth using Bateman's books to work from so it was an honour to meet him. He was very pleasant to talk to and afterwards I went on to listen to him speak about conservation...a great evening all round.
Has he ever exhibited in the UK or Europe - does anyone know? Seems odd that he would be unaware of the cultural bent toward nature that has always existed there - I'd have thought it would be a major market for him.
And - no I don't mean you're all bent!!
I'm originally from Barnsley although I've lived in Canada most of my life. Just thought I'd share my experience of Bateman...suffice it to say - if you ever get the chance - don't let it pass you by - seeing Bateman's work up close is awe-inspiring.
Cheers
Chris Oakley
P.S. Victoria is actually a great spot to be in for a bird painter - J. Fenwick Landsdowne ( my absolute hero
lives in Oak Bay so I got to see a lot of his work as well.