Lynn Bogue Hunt (1878 – 1960)

When I did a Google Images search on “paintings of Lynn Bogue Hunt” I was flooded with a sense of nostalgia.  Hunt, an avid “outdoorsman” from an era when that meant hunting and fishing, was creator of many of the colorful paintings that I saw reproductions of so often in my early childhood. While both he and the market he served favored “game” animals, predators, and the more familiar species of his home state of Michigan, right next door, thus wildlife most familiar to me as a child, he did portray other species of birds and other wildlife, favoring bright colors, dramatic composition and poses and interesting behavior. His black and white art was usually also dramatic and interesting.  He did not always get his avian anatomy and poses quite as they might better be shown, although often he did with very satisfactory results. There was a freshness to his paintings, a willingness to play around with ideas, that definitely did appeal to me, and influence me in my youth and still provides pleasure to me.