Canadian naturalist and painter Robert Bateman was born in Toronto, Canada, on May 24, 1930. Since childhood, he has been interested in wildlife and art. He was initially inspired by the famous “Group of Seven,” a club of Canadian ‘Realistic’ painters. Bateman perfected the art of beautifully portraying nature & wildlife on canvas. While he started his artistic stint with creating ‘Abstract’ paintings of nature, he transitioned to ‘Realism’ in the 1960s. His focus was mostly on depicting beauty in its original form, for which he travelled extensively and used his keen observation power to accurately depict the various facets of nature. One of the methods Bateman has applied while painting his works is clicking photographs and using them as models for his creations. Robert Bateman achieved iconic feat with his work “Midnight Black Wolf.”
While Bateman has also sketched and painted people & activities, in one of his interviews, he has indicated that sketching people was as easy as sitting and eating popcorn for him. He has also said that sketching wildlife offered more challenges on the account of it being an extremely diverse area of exploration. One of Robert’s most famous paintings, as mentioned above, is “Midnight Black Wolf” that depicts a black wolf on a black backdrop. Some of Bateman’s other most famous works include “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Lost-Wildebeest,” “White Encounter-Polar Bear,” “Cardinal in Sumac,” “Beech Grass & Tree Frog,” “Clan of the Raven,” “Tadpole Time,” “Awesome Land-American Elk,” “Cries of Courtship,” and “Vantage Point – Bald Eagle.”
Talking about “Midnight Black Wolf,” Bateman himself says that he wanted to “show the ominous presence of a mature, lone wolf,” creating an overall atmosphere of respect and seriousness around the animal, though not the one of threat. From the viewpoint of an artist, Bateman said that he found it extremely challenging to portray a “black animal on an almost black background.” Looking back, although Bateman became a high school art/geography teacher, he never stopped painting throughout his career. However, it was only in 1970s and 1980s that his paintings and talent began getting recognition. His work started gaining popularity with time. Bateman has around ten books, based solely on his paintings. He has been criticized over his decision to allow the reproductions of his work, by people who believe that this act devalues the genuine art market. However, these reproductions have been extremely popular and are sold across print galleries in Canada and internationally. Even today, Robert Bateman continues to paint beautiful scenes from the forests. He has carved a niche for himself in the art world through his wonderful paintings, depicting nature and wildlife such as in “Midnight Black Wolf.”