Walter Ferguson
Encyclopedia
Walter William Ferguson was born in New York City
in 1930. He received his formal art training under scholarship at Yale School of Fine Arts and Pratt Institute
. He has exhibited widely in Israel
and abroad and his painting
s are in many private collection
s.
Noted for his versatility, Ferguson paints a wide variety of subjects from wildlife
to portrait
s and landscape
s. His classical technique combined with modern design have been developed over 60 years and honed to a high degree of sensitivity.
In addition to his fine art
, Ferguson has produced limited editions of serigraphs and litho-offsets prints. He has written and illustrated seven books and illustrated 26 books and many articles. He was commissioned by LIFE magazine
to illustrate endangered species
. Ferguson wrote and illustrated a book on The Mammals of Israel. His paintings have helped raise funds to reintroduce into Israel animals that became extinct
since Biblical times.
Ferguson has worked for the American Museum of Natural History
where he did paintings reconstructing extinct animals. He moved to Israel in l965 where he briefly taught art at Bezalel School of Art. He has been staff artist for the Department of Zoology
of the Tel Aviv University
for 29 years. In addition to his fine art, Ferguson has contributed to zoology and paleoanthropology
.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1930. He received his formal art training under scholarship at Yale School of Fine Arts and Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
. He has exhibited widely in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and abroad and his painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s are in many private collection
Private collection
A private collection is a privately owned collection of works, usually a collection of art. If seen in a museum alongside a work or describing said work, it signifies that piece of art in a museum is not actually owned by that museum, but is on loan from an independent source. This source will...
s.
Noted for his versatility, Ferguson paints a wide variety of subjects from wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
to portrait
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
s and landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
s. His classical technique combined with modern design have been developed over 60 years and honed to a high degree of sensitivity.
In addition to his fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
, Ferguson has produced limited editions of serigraphs and litho-offsets prints. He has written and illustrated seven books and illustrated 26 books and many articles. He was commissioned by LIFE magazine
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
to illustrate endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. Ferguson wrote and illustrated a book on The Mammals of Israel. His paintings have helped raise funds to reintroduce into Israel animals that became extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
since Biblical times.
Ferguson has worked for the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
where he did paintings reconstructing extinct animals. He moved to Israel in l965 where he briefly taught art at Bezalel School of Art. He has been staff artist for the Department of Zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
of the Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
for 29 years. In addition to his fine art, Ferguson has contributed to zoology and paleoanthropology
Paleoanthropology
Paleoanthropology, which combines the disciplines of paleontology and physical anthropology, is the study of ancient humans as found in fossil hominid evidence such as petrifacted bones and footprints.-19th century:...
.