Truth & Beauty #4: James Audubon

James Audubon, Shore Lark, illustration from The Birds of America, 1827

In the nineteenth century, naturalists set out to catalog and create a taxonomy of as many plants and animals as could be identified. Far from a dull pursuit, their work created a fusion of art and the natural sciences that still stupefies with its mixture of exacting detail and aesthetic beauty. Did their labors of love go hand in hand with colonization? Certainly. Were they part of a scientific project that has disenchanted our existence? In a way, yes, in a way, no. Their wonder at, and affection for, our natural world is immediately evident, and something to be treasured. After all, to communicate a sense of awe is a core religious function.

Previous installments of Truth & Beauty featured snowflake macro-photography, brainbows and dying stars.