Have you ever seen a painting where the main focus was an animal or a painting that highlights a family pet? Pets play a big role in many of our lives. It is only natural that they become an artist’s inspiration and occupy the canvas as well.
Fascination of Animals
The including of animals in art can be traced back to early to cave paintings. People painted the animals that were important to them such as horses, large cats, bears, and even woolly mammoths.
This is an early cave painting known as Chauvet Cave that is located in southern France.
Why Put Pets into Art?
Artists express themselves through their art and find inspiration in the world around them oftentimes their world includes pets and other animals.
Many artists throughout history have celebrated pet ownership in their art.
Hunt Slonem
Hunt Slonem is known for his brightly colored bird paintings. His art studio in Brooklyn doubles as an aviary for more than 60 rescued birds.
He is also inspired by butterflies and rabbits and it can be seen in the many paintings of both.
Finches Red, 2000
Frida Kahlo
One could call Frida Kahlo’s collection of animals a zoo. Her many animals included chickens, sparrows, macaws, parakeets, Bonito the parrot, a fawn named Granizo, spider monkeys, an eagle, and dogs.
Her animals were in 55 of her 143 paintings.
Self Portrait with Monkeys, 1943
Henri Matisse
Herni Matisse had a love for cats and doves that translated into his paintings.
He had 3 cats that he was especially fond of named Minouche, Coussi, and La Puce (meaning the flea).
Cat with Red Fish, 1938
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol had many cats and also adopted two Dachshunds, Archie and Amos, who he took everywhere and appeared in a few art pieces.
Sam, 1954
If you enjoyed learning about Pets Through the Eyes of Artists and would like to know more, join us November 12, at 2pm. You will have the opportunity to follow along with a fun pet inspired art project.
Resources
Checkout these fun titles about artists and their pets:
How artists see animals: mammal, fish, bird, reptile by Colleen Carroll
Frida Kahlo and her animalitos by Monica Brown
