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The Back Yard Zoo by Jim Dunlap "Renoir Gecko" |
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In my never-ending quest for a little culture in Dallas,
I visited the Dallas Museum of Art this week. The exhibition is
"Renoir and Algeria" that will run to August 31. As I
strolled, studied, and admired I was drawn to one particular work. Not
having my glasses, I leaned in closer, and closer and the guard began to
get nervous. It was "Algerian Landscape. The Ravine of the
"Femme Sauvage" painted in 1881.
I marveled at the exquisite effects of color and lush brushwork. While minimizing the fine tonal gradations of academic painting, Renoir maximized the contrast between the light and dark areas of the canvas. It was an excellent balance between harsh cold light and deep shadows. The subtle colors of a small lizard displayed intensity in the use of pigment. Small lizard? It was tiny and not much more than a controlled wisp of color perched near the base of a broad leaf. It looked just like our most common import the Mediterranean gecko. It would have lived in abundance in that area during the late nineteenth century. This lizard is a pale, four-inch long, ghostly little thing with very large eyes and broad toe pads. Tiny warts cover its pinkish ivory skin. It is almost completely nocturnal, and on warm evenings it can be found on buildings, window screens, doing the backstroke in toilets, or near your back porch light where insects congregate. The geckos are noted for their vocalizations. Our little lizard makes a series of squeaking sounds. It has "plumber’s helpers" toes that allow it to walk across glass. It is capable of breaking off its tail when a predator grabs it. The tail continues to wiggle, gets the predators attention, while the rest of the gecko scurries to safety. We should welcome, nurture, and protect these tiny insect exterminators. On my next trip to a museum I will remember my glasses but I still thought I saw a gecko. Time has passed and now I'm thinking it could have been Renoir's impressionistic interpretation of a small stalk of asparagus. I was not sure enough to ask for a second opinion. Now I wonder. Contact Jim Dunlap, director of the Holifield Science Learning Center of Plano Independent School District, 3100 Shiloh Road, at 469-752-1194 or jdunlap@pisd.edu. |
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