Rock Dove by Amy Jean Porter
10"x8" ($24) | 14"x11" ($60) | 20"x16" ($240) | 30"x24" ($1,200)
Has a pigeon ever looked so elegant? Take a peek at Amy Jean Porter’s new edition and decide for yourself.
When it comes to urban fauna, the pigeon is as prolific as the squirrel or subway rodent. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call the pigeon the underdog of the avian world. Though it may not have the same panache as Pizza Rat, the unpretentious pigeon deserves its day in the sun. Let’s start with an artful re-branding, courtesy of longtime 20x200 artist Amy Jean Porter, who alerted us to the fact that the pigeon also goes by a markedly more dignified name: Rock Dove.
From their peculiar gait to their iridescent neck plumage, pigeons are one of the most widely recognizable flying creatures. Porter’s portrait of a pigeon is right at home against the background of a Tree of Heaven on the NYC Highline. Rock Dove seems a more befitting name for the beautiful gray bird who has somehow made its home in the least hospitable of locales. Porter has rendered this feathered subject with the same colorful enthusiasm as the more than one thousand species of animals she’s illustrated over time. That is to say: nature is an enduring source of inspiration for this artist, who once told us she listens to online courses in biology while at work in her studio.
Another essential element of Porter’s work? A sense of humor. Peep the lefthand side of this edition, where the artist describes once having mistaken a pigeon for a very tiny man in a suit. As amply evidenced in her seven previous editions, Porter’s take on nature is always quirky, bright, and beaming with personality. That's what keeps us coming back to her work, and why Rock Dove is much more than a pretty picture of a common pigeon—it’s an image that’s at once familiar, and entirely eye-opening.
With art for everyone,
Jen Bekman + Team 20x200
