Delight emerges through this composition: rounded forms, mirrored gestures, and a rhythm of wings and limbs that echo across species. The balance of dark and light shapes gives the entire scene a playful, offbeat harmony.

Thanks to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection’s efforts to digitize their holdings, we now have the ability to see the related image (CD.96.2.1), a preparatory drawing that reveals fascinating divergences.

The bird with the human-like face, so prominent here, appears at the centre of the original drawing, while the smooth-winged bird, perched at the top of the print, was originally angled differently and placed in the lower left.

Most striking is what’s missing: the wild-tongued beast and two-tailed seal with horned faces, which are both cut from the print.