The Bird Man. Acrylic Painting on Canvas 45x 50 inches.
the Birdman does not actually reference the Birdman of Alcatraz
This was because of a misunderstanding. But……The Birdman of Alcatraz AKA Robert Franklin Stroud, was a convicted murderer, prisoner and author who was an infamous criminal in the USA.
Stroud, during his time at Leavenworth Penitentiary, reared and sold birds and became a respected ornithologist, but when transferred to Alcatraz, regulations would not allow him to keep birds. Stroud was imprisoned from 1909 until his death in 1963.
For all the negativity written about Robert Stroud and his behavior, in what came to be called The Battle of Alcatraz in May 1946, he made efforts to end the battle. Then fifty-six years old, Stroud climbed over the third tier railing and lowered himself to the second tier, then dropped onto the floor of D Block. In what seemed to be a valiant move, he started closing the front solid steel doors of the six isolation cells to protect the helpless men. Stroud yelled to the Warden, explaining that there were no firearms in D Block and that those involved had retreated to another section of the prison. He made it clear that many innocent men would die if they continued to barrage them with gunfire.
In 1959, Stroud was transferred to the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, where he remained until his death on November 21, 1963
Read more about The Battle For Alcatraz on Wikipedia
Robert Franklin Stroud Birdman Of Alcatraz in 1909.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Stroud ran away from his abusive father at the age of 13, and by the time he was 18, he had become a pimp in the Alaska Territory. In January 1909, he shot and killed a bartender who attacked his mistress, a crime for which he was sentenced to 12 years in the federal penitentiary on McNeil Island in Puget Sound. Stroud gained a reputation as a dangerous inmate who frequently had confrontations with fellow inmates and staff, and in 1916, he stabbed and killed a guard. Stroud was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by hanging, but after several trials his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in solitary confinement.
In 1920, while in solitary confinement at Leavenworth, Stroud discovered a nest with three injured sparrows in the prison yard. He cared for them and within a few years had acquired a collection of about 300 canaries. He began extensive research into birds after being granted equipment by a prison-reforming warden. Stroud wrote Diseases of Canaries, which was smuggled out of Leavenworth and published in 1933, as well as a later edition (1943). He made important contributions to avian pathology, most notably a cure for the hemorrhagic septicemia family of diseases, gaining much respect and some level of sympathy among ornithologists and farmers. Stroud ran a successful business from inside prison, but his activities infuriated the prison staff, and he was eventually transferred to Alcatraz in 1942 after it was discovered that Stroud had been secretly making alcohol using some of the equipment in his cell.
Stroud began serving a 17-year term at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on December 19, 1942, and became inmate #594. In 1943, he was assessed by psychiatrist Romney M. Ritchey, who diagnosed him as a psychopath, with an I.Q. of 112. Stripped of his birds and equipment, he wrote a history of the penal system.
Read more about Robert Franklin Stroud Birdman Of Alcatraz on Wikipedia
This Painting Is For Sale
When painting on canvas I never approach any project in any particular order or theme, through time some works have become related series, which have been grouped together here in this collection titled ‘Murder, suicide & scandal art’. Art Story By Doug Kemp
Doug Kemp’s art gallery is run by Doug’s brother Norman and his son Luke Kemp, Luke also runs the following websites www.boodlebobs.com & www.seo-hampshire.com Norman & Luke are available for answering technical problems and sales queries from this sites contact page.
