Week #7, Feathered Friends III

Dusti Bongé, Untitled (Surrealist Bird), c. 1945, charcoal on paper, 14” x 12”.

Happy Mardi Gras to All!

It seems that Dusti Bongé’s menagerie of surrealist birds fit right in with all the carnivalesque surroundings in which we have been immersed.

Sticking with our theme of feathered friends herewith another example rendered in Dusti Bongé’s signature surrealist style with quick outlines and loose patterns. At first glance it seems that this is not a bird of the gallinaceous variety, what with the small fish in her mouth. But a closer look reveals some of the identifying body parts, of which, most importantly, the comb is one. And there aren’t really any local seabirds with distinct combs on their head (if you know of one, please share).

Dusti’s rendering here is quite minimal: the hen’s beak, head and body are drawn with one single continuous line. Similarly, the wings are drawn with a line from one shoulder looping down, then across the body to the other side, and back up to the other shoulder.  One of the wings has a hint of feathers, and the tail is patterned with a quick cross hatch. What is noticeable is that this bird’s comb is rather small, which suggests she may be a young chicken or one of a different breed. And for some unknown reason she is missing her tell-tale chicken feet, which must make it hard to get around.

Despite this handicap, this feathered friend is also out and about beyond the boundaries of the typical barn yard. If the stippling, wavy lines and little semi-circular marks are any indication, she too is somewhere at the shore. And she is also enjoying some local seafood, although of a slightly less exotic variety than the conch last time. This bird has a small fish in her beak, perhaps the famed Biloxi Bacon, the local name for mullet which used to be abundant in these waters.

And once again, there are those funny little clouds in the sky…