c Hadeda

A hadeda ibis is rendered with characteristic exaggeration and warmth, its form compressed and monumental against a luminous green ground. The bird’s dark plumage contrasts boldly with gestural brushwork and mixed media, creating a composition of remarkable immediacy. The palette shifts from deep blue and purple through ochre and cream, whilst the thick, expressionistic handling conveys both humour and attentiveness. Claerhout’s approach to animals encountered in daily life was shaped by his decades working in South Africa, where he developed this distinctive vocabulary of form and colour.