Animal Camouflage and the Ethereal

Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849-1921)--a skillful painter of angelic women--is now mostly remembered for his book describing how coloration conceals animals in their natural habitat. In the example above, Thayer shows white flamingos blending into a morning sky and pink flamingos blending into a sunset sky. Thayer acknowledged that his idea worked only under certain conditions yet never wavered believing in its validity. Thayer may have felt strongly about his thesis because it seemed to express his own worldview: life is both ground and atmosphere, corporeal and hidden, transcendent.