This painting depicts a scene of three rhinos in the Kalahari reserve, a wonderful and vast refuge for the black rhino who were decimated to the point of near extinction at the time when Shepherd was practicing. Characterised by its deep red, sandy terrain, the Kalahari offered a rare opportunity for the artist to find these animals in reasonable numbers for his subject pictures. Titled ‘Alert’, in this example the rhinos are standing facing outwardly, displaying varying profiles in showing off their peculiar yet fascinating physical attributes. Behind, the impression of a dry, desert landscape is made out by the bare trees and bushes which loom out from the hazy horizon. The scene is flooded with light, suggesting that this moment is at the point of the midday sun.
Employing his familiar optic technique, the composition is constructed out of a multiple of sections that are each either in or out of focus, leading our attention towards the focal point which in turn renders the whole to appear as it would from life when seen through the human eye. As we observe we are drawn to the superb definition of the rhino’s armoured plates and large pointed horns which stands in marked contrast to the broader, impressionistic brushwork adopted for the surrounding environment which remains. The immediate foreground is rich in texture with thick impasto brushwork, a much desired and highly recognisable hallmark of Shepherd’s distinctive style.
David Shepherd is considered to be one of the finest wildlife artists of the last one hundred years. His approach stems from a personal attachment with the animals of Kenya. As a boy, he dreamt of becoming a game warden to no avail, and was fortunate when his early artistic career as an aviation artist led to a commission from the RAF in 1960. On consignment in Kenya, inspired by the animals that he encountered, he painted his first wildlife painting which would change the course of his career; a rhinoceros chasing a Twin Pioneer aeroplane, capturing two of his great passions. It was also on this time trip in Kenya that David became passionate conservationist overnight when he saw 255 zebra poisoned to death by poachers.
Gladwell & Patterson have long championed David’s artistic and charitable work, across the three generations of the Fuller family. Our 275-year-old gallery has been privileged to display David’s superb paintings over the decades. Together the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, the gallery held the first retrospective exhibition of David’s work since his death in January 2019. The exhibition raised awareness and funds for the Foundations continuing work with a percentage of proceeds from the sale of the paintings during this exhibition donated to the Foundation for educational projects in Zambia.
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