Solitary Blue-winged Teal.

New York:, undated [1902].. Fine. Fine condition. Original Charcoal and ink on paper. Signed CL Bull lower center. Image size: 12 3/4 x 9 1/4 inches. Sheet size 16 x 13 inches. Elegantly custom framed in Ecru rag board with gilt decoration, one inch neoclassical silver molding. Dimensions: 22 1/8 x 19 1/8 inches. Executed in charcoal and ink on paper- Charles Livingston Bull's preferred medium-an elegant composition of a Blue-winged Teal in flight over lily pond with reeds in the foreground.The influence of Japanese design is unmistakable. As a collector of Japanese wood block prints- Bull studied and here utilized the finely tuned conventions of image building commonly found in the Japanese prints of the late nineteenth century. In this composition Bull utilizes the foreshortened reeds and flowering lily pads below to create an intimate setting into which the floating Teal appears. The Teal's extended wing obscures a portion of the lily pad- allowing for sense of motion. The form is created by patterned and monochromatic blocks, with a sparing use of outline. An elegant and finely executed scene.