AFA Summer 2020

2020 Antiques & Fine Art 97 ordinarily meets the eye, he [Chanler] reaches toward the far magic of the sky, bringing strange beasts and fabulous birds at his beck and call . . . these gorgeous avian marvels fly to the surface of his creative consciousness and assume their appointed places in a given composition.” 5 In Birds of Paradise (Fig. 11), painted in 1913, Chanler used long brush strokes to capture the f lowing plumage of the perching birds of paradise and the cascade in the left of the composition. While the birds are normally known for their exquisitely colored feathers, Chanler rendered them in monochromatic shades of red and ochre. He returned to the subject matter in a 1928 screen also titled Birds of Paradise (Fig. 12). This screen merges the exuberance and luminosity of Chanler’s use of metallic surfaces with the cascading plumage of the five birds of paradise perched on the tree. In correspondence referencing this work he stated, “Paradise shimmers, it’s silver, not gold.” The extravagant beauty of the peacock has made the ornamental creature the protagonist in many forms of art. For Chanler, the peacock was inspirational (Fig. 13), and was the subject matter of a complete interior produced in the early 1900s, on view at his East 19th Street address through the mid-1920s. 6 Chanler returned to depicting peacocks a number of times throughout his career, in all instances featuring the creatures in the forefront with a bold red background, accentuating the peacock’s colors. Chanler’s immersive works, indulgent use of materials and climactic composition of a moment can be unsettling to viewers, leaving us feeling as if we are living on the edge. Ferocious zebras in Fig. 9: Robert Winthrop Chanler (1872–1930), Tiger, (n.d.). Screen, Oil on panel. Pauline L. Petchey Trust, New York. Photograph by T. Whitney Cox.