The Burlington Art Centre, Burlington
Private Collection, Niagara Falls
Juravinksi Hospital, Hamilton
Literature
Ramsay Derry, “The Art of Robert Bateman”, Markham, 1981, pages 54-55
Ramsay Derry notes that Robert Bateman's “exceptional quality of conveying the emotional world of an animal (which is based on a close knowledge of the biological and behavioural details of the animal and its environment) makes his pictures very exciting for biologists and natural scientists who may sometimes know a great deal about the subjects.” Speaking of Bateman's skillful depictions of birds, William Whitehead, a former research biologist and award-winning writer of films and natural science documentaries, says, “Birds have extremely sharp vision. In Bob's paintings he conveys the tremendously focused expression of the bird... Also, through the level of detail he achieves in the picture, he makes us feel we are seeing the world through the bird's eyes. Many birds are practical botanists, or practical entomologists, and when he...draws as much attention to the plants as to the birds, I feel as if I am, for a moment, seeing the plants as clearly and as importantly as the birds do.”
According to the original owner of the painting, “Gull” is believed to have been painted circa 1969.
This artwork is being sold to benefit the Juravinski Hospital, an integral part of the Hamilton, Ontario community as the region's centre of excellence and orthopedic care and a full service general hospital.
