Estuary with tern

Discussing Morris's bird paintings of the 1920s and 1930s, Richard Morphet (Cedric Morris, catalogue for the exhibition at the Tate Gallery, London, 1984, p. 86) comments that 'His bird paintings do not attempt to compete with Audubon in precision of detail, but, like Cedric Morris's portraits (which might appear crude beside those of Frampton or Gunn), they are nevertheless uncannily 'like'. As Zoo magazine reported, 'Cedric Morris believes that a realistic picture, while useful if you want to identify the subject, does not necessarily give you the most vivid impression of its character. Therefore, having studied living birds under all conditions, he simplifies and arranges them on canvas so that his design enhances the natural interest of the subject. 'The intention', in his own words, 'is to provoke a lively sympathy with the mood of the birds which ornithological exactitude may tend to destroy''.