Robert McLellan Bateman (Canadian, b. 1930). Arctic Landscape - Polar Bear, 1992. Acrylic on canvas. 30 x 72 inches (76....

Description

Robert McLellan Bateman (Canadian, b. 1930)
Arctic Landscape - Polar Bear, 1992
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 72 inches (76.2 x 182.9 cm)
Signed and dated lower right: Robert Bateman 1992

EXHIBITED:
The National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, "The National Academy of Western Art 20th Annual Exhibit," June 12-September 13, 1992.

"There is a sense of vastness in the land and sky of the arctic. All of the elements in an arctic landscape are exposed in a beauty of essential forms. I find the sculptural quality of the rock there appealing -- it looks as though a glacier has only just withdrawn from its sculpting work to recede north.

"In this painting, the bedrock emerges like massive mountains, thrusting up from the flowering catkins of the willow trees in full bloom. The willows here are completely mature. Trees do grow above the tree line, but after many windswept decades, they achieve heights of only a few inches. Lichens also grow very slowly in the far north. Creating an oriental tracery, the lichens on the surface of these rocks tell us that the rocks have been exposed for a long time.

"The clean and barren rock stretches north to the shores of Hudson Bay in the background, a favorite polar bear prowling ground. One, in fact, has been moving through this landscape, head down, sniffing for lemmings or perhaps for birds' nests -- a summer delicacy. He has
become aware of your presence and has raised his head to investigate."
-- Robert Bateman



More information about Robert McLellan Bateman. See also: Bateman, Robert McLellan, Bateman, Robert Artist.



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