The bison’s quiet mass appears as a landscape-body, crossed by a cloudy sky and a band of golden light on the horizon. The light background highlights the silhouette, while the inside of the animal opens onto a nature scene where a fine vertical waterfall can be seen. John Beckley composes a very legible, photographic image, where the dense texture of the fur contrasts with the blurred softness of the landscape. The eye moves between the dark, powerful head and this luminous window, in a calm motion that gives the whole a feeling of peaceful grandeur.
