Wildlife art in the 18th to 19th C. In 1743, Mark Catesby published
his documentation of the flora and fauna of the explored areas of the New World, which helped encourage both business investment and interest in the natural history of the continent. In response to the decadence of the Rococo period, neo-classicism arose in the late 18th Century (1750-1830 ). This genre is more ascetic, and contains much sensuality, but none of the spontaneity which characterizes the later Romantic period. This movement focused on the supremacy of natural order over man's will, a concept which culminated in the romantic art depiction of disasters and madness. Francois Le Vaillant (1769-1832) was a bird illustrator (and ornithologist) around this time. Georges Cuvier, (1769-1832), painted accurate images of more than 5000 fish, relating to his studies of comparative organismal biology. Edward Hicks is an example of an American wildlife painter of this period, who's art was dominated by his religious context. Sir Edwin Henry Landseer was also painting wil