🎨WALDRAPP'S TOMB
WALDRAPP'S TOMB
graphite on paper - 36 x 32 cm - 2013
part of the technique used here is frottage from antique book covers
you can right-click all images for a larger view
Details
Waldrapp is a endangered species of bird. The Waldrapp (Geronticus eremita) is protected. This drawing was my reaction to the shooting of a banded bird in 2012 while migrating: Poachers gun down iconic ibis.
Waldrapp is the German name for the Northern Bald Ibis.
Here is some background information:
After a 400-Year Absence, A Rare Ibis Returns to European Skies
this what the bird looks like - photo credit Yale Environment
“One saw a bird dying, shot by a man. It was flying with rhythmic beat and beautifully, with such freedom and lack of fear. And the gun shattered it; it fell to the earth and all the life had gone out of it. A dog fetched it, and the man collected other dead birds. He was chattering with his friend and seemed so utterly indifferent. All that he was concerned with was bringing down so many birds, and it was over as far as he was concerned. They are killing all over the world. Those marvellous, great animals of the sea, the whales, are killed by the million, and the tiger and so many other animals are now becoming endangered species. Man is the only animal that is to be dreaded.” ― Jiddu Krishnamurti, Krishnamurti to Himself: His Last Journal
Mizaru - Kikazaru - Iwazaru
aka Boris Koller - Otto Rapp - Peter Gric - photo by Sabina Nore
Note: I am an Austrian Artist living in Vienna
About my Work
View post on Elegance
A place to show your skills
The Vienna Zoo in Schönbrunn has a large colony of these birds. My fondness for them is that they bear my name, lol - a Austrian TV personality, Peter Rapp (no relation) is the sponsor of this enclosure.
I took these photos in 2015:
Wonderful, Otto ! Love that signature beak that you captured from the birds into your drawing <3 And the patterns and detailing are very lovely, also !
I think the composition also capture the tomb feels from the title well, and I am glad these birds have returned to European skies :> and not.... well, entombed somewhere in our memories... <3
Thank you very much!
Oh that is a sad story RE the shooting of the bird, but it really gave this drawing so much more impact for me! Also what an interesting beak shape to draw inspiration from as well. Cheers - Carl / @carlgnash
Thank you - yes, sad also that she was leading 2 juvenile birds which were also lost.
This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.
thank you kindly!
Beautiful piece, and even more heartfelt after reading the accompaniment about the Waldrapp/Ibis. I shall never fully understand this aspect of the human condition and such indifference to nature's odd and beautiful creatures, often for sport or little monetary gain. Breaks the heart. Thanks for a very poignant post.
Who is the mustache guy?
bottom image, the one in the middle? that's me.
I am putting a different picture with (or about) me on the bottom of each new post.
nono, this guy:
It is a rubbing from an old embossed book cover. It took me a while to find it again, since I got tons of books I inherited from my grandfather, and I re-shuffeled my library after I got new shelves. The writers name is Friedrich Spielhagen, and it seems to be his portrait (compare with the wiki). The book is the sequel to Problematische Naturen: 'Durch Nacht zum Licht' and my copy was published 1900 in Leipzig.
There are several other embossed covers I used in that drawing.
Always liked that technique... in a way, it always reminds me of Max Ernst 😑
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yeah, Max Ernst is a fave. This also goes back to tombstone rubbings.
Super schön!!!!
thank you Caroline - I had noticed that I had not published this one anywhere except maybe a obscure FB post and in my twitter album. Not on my website, deviantArt, pixels etc. I searched so I could re-quote myself and found nothing, so this will eventually be found in a web search.
...and the hairstyle qualifies these birds to play football!
soccer - and there are several other examples - I see some players that seemingly have a lasagna on their head.
Great art! Following.
thank you!