Walton Ford is an American artist whose monumental paintings build upon natural history and the human imagination. Inspired by traditional natural history paintings, scientific illustrations, myths and folklore, Ford originally began painting animals after a trip to India in the 1990s, where he became fascinated with Indigenous birds and the effects of colonialism on the environment. From there, he began painting meticulous studies of animals and other wildlife, eventually developing his signature style that pairs detailed animal portraits with deep allegorical narratives, examining the relationship between humans and nature. Die Fledermaus, 2013 was created for the Metropolitan Opera for their 2013 performance of the famous operetta.