Audubon On Louisiana: Selected Writings Of John James Audubon

Although we remember John James AudubonÆs years in Louisiana primarily for the art he produced there, his writings reflect the profound impact the region made on him and his artistic vision, especially in his magnificent collection of paintings published as The Birds of America. In Audubon on Louisiana, Ben Forkner compiles and explains in depth AudubonÆs essential writings on the region. Beginning in 1810 as Audubon arrives in the upper Louisiana Territory, and continuing as he moves into southern Louisiana ten years later (and eventually brings his wife, Lucy, to join him), AudubonÆs journals, essays, and letters reveal his struggles to fill his portfolio with new watercolors, his discoveries throughout the region, and the transformative effect the area had on both his art and his life. Forkner provides a detailed introduction to AudubonÆs private journal of 1820û21, the Louisiana Journal, to guide readers through this compelling document. Until now, the difficulty of comprehending AudubonÆs rough English has often kept readers from fully appreciating the JournalÆs significance. The volume also contains a dozen essays that Audubon penned about his experiences in Louisiana; most of these ôepisodesö he published in his Ornithological Biography, a massive five-volume written work that complements the visual art of Birds of America. Letters describing AudubonÆs last voyage to Louisiana in 1837 followed by nine of his Louisiana bird biographies round out the collection. These original texts, augmented with ForknerÆs commentary, form a magisterial work that illuminates the importance of Louisiana to AudubonÆs life and art. Audubon on Louisiana deepens appreciation of one of the most significant artistsùand nature writersùof the nineteenth century.

• | Author: Ben Forkner
• | Publisher: Lsu Press
• | Publication Date: Oct 10, 2018
• | Number of Pages: 432 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Hardcover/Biography & Autobiography
• | ISBN-10: 0807169587
• | ISBN-13: 9780807169582