First paint a cage

with an open door

then paint something pretty

something simple

something beautiful

something useful

for the bird

then place the canvas against a tree

in a garden

in a wood

or in a forest

hide behind the tree without speaking 

without moving 

Sometimes the bird comes quickly

but he can just as well spend long years

before deciding

Don't get discouraged

wait

wait years if necessary

the swiftness or slowness of the coming

of the bird having no rapport

with the success of the picture

When the bird comes

if he comes

observe the most profound silence

wait till the bird enters the cage

and when he has entered 

gently close the door with a brush

then

paint out all the bars one by one

taking care not to touch any of the feathers of the bird

Then paint the portrait of the tree

choosing the most beautiful of its branches

for the bird

paint also the green foliage and the wind's freshness

and the dust of the sun

and the noise of the insects in the summer heat

and then wait for the bird to decide to sing

If the bird doesn't sing

its a bad sign

and a sign that the painting is bad

but if he sings its a good sign

so then so gently you pull out one of the feathers of the bird

and you write your name in the corner of the picture

Written by Jacques Prevert - Pour faire le portrait d'un oiseau. 

 

Painting - Don Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuniga by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes