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. Initially he was inspired by the famous “Group of Seven”, a club of “realistic” Canadian painters. Bateman perfected the art of beautifully portraying nature and wildlife on canvas. While he began his artistic stage with creating ‘abstract’ paintings of nature, he transitioned to ‘realism’ in the 1960s. His focus was primarily on depicting beauty in its original form, which is why he traveled extensively. and he used his keen powers of observation to accurately represent the various facets of nature. One of the methods Bateman has applied in painting his works is to click on photographs and use them as models for his creations. Robert Bateman accomplished an iconic feat with his work “Midnight Black Wolf.”

Although Bateman also drew and painted people and activities, in one of his interviews he indicated that drawing people was as easy as sitting down and eating popcorn for him. He has also said that drawing wildlife offers more challenges because it is an extremely diverse area of ​​exploration. One of Robert’s most famous paintings, as mentioned above, is “Midnight Black Wolf” which depicts a black wolf on a black background. 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”, “Impressive Terrestrial Moose”, “Courtship Cries” and “Lookout: Bald Eagle”.

Speaking of “Midnight Black Wolf”, Bateman himself says that he wanted to “show the ominous presence of a mature and lone wolf”, creating a general atmosphere of respect and seriousness around the animal, although not of threat. From an artist’s point of view, Bateman said he found it extremely challenging to portray a “black animal on an almost black background.” Looking back, although Bateman became an art / geography teacher in high school, he never stopped painting throughout his career. However, it was only in the 1970s and 1980s that his paintings and talents began to receive recognition. His work began to gain popularity over time. Bateman has about ten books, based solely on his paintings. He has been criticized for his decision to allow reproductions of his work, by people who believe that this act devalues ​​the market for genuine art. However, these reproductions have been extremely popular and are sold in print galleries in Canada and internationally. Even today, Robert Bateman continues to paint beautiful forest scenes. He has carved out a niche for himself in the art world through his wonderful paintings, depicting nature and wildlife as in “Midnight Black Wolf”.