" THE
CHALLENGE " - BULL MOOSE
Robert Bateman
10,671 s/n Paper
23" x 34"
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"A
moose is an intimidating animal. A big bull is huge
- weighing up to half a ton and standing up to seven
-and-a-half
feet tall at the shoulder - but is amazingly swift and graceful
when moving through thick forest
and underbrush.
Very often I have seen moose immersed in a lily-clad lake. The water lily root is one of the moose's favorite
foods. The big head reaches down, totally submerges, fills up its semi-prehensile mouth with roots from the
bottom of the muck and brings them up for chewing. A typical sight is the dripping emergence of a head
with antlers festooned with lilies and other aquatice vegetation. I have been in moose country very often
and usually see their tracks and other signs. I assume that they see or hear me first and keep their distance.
One should always treat moose with respect. Most moose that I have seen have been from a safe distance.
I've only had one encounter with a moose, and that was with a cow and her calf. the cow didn't want me in
the neighborhood and came straight toward me. This was somewhat disconcerting since I am usually trying
to get close to animals - not the reverse. I was well aware that the moose's method of attack is to rear up
and slash out with a large cloven hoof. Luckily I backed off, trying to keep trees between the two of us.
The
cow was satisfied and returned to her calf.
In this painting I tried to give the feeling of a powerful bull which is too close for comfort. I left the scene
deliberately ambiguous as to whether this is a charge or a bluff or simply the thrashing of antlers to get
rid of some bothersome twigs. There has recently been a light snowfall. Some of the bits of snow are
being
scattered. I intentionally kept my technique of painting open and somewhat loose, partly because
this style actually increases the sense of movement and dynamism in the painting and partly because
I was simply having fun with the strokes of paint and liked them that way."
Robert
Bateman
- Challenge Bull Moose - Robert Bateman -
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