Animal

Animals are often featured in news, sometimes in heartwarming tales of human and animal companionship and other times in heartbreaking stories of illegal trade and endangered species. Animals are even present in social sciences, especially thank to ethology (behavioural sciences of animals in their natural habitat). They have fascinated philosophers from Antiquity all the way through to today and they are even present in the medical realm, as the benefits of animal-assisted therapies have been scientifically proven.

The relationship between humans and animals is also taken into account in the politics, most notably when debating topics related to ecology, the protection of ecosystems and sustainable development. Thus, animals might be seen as a crucial indicator of humanity's concerns.

As well in these many sectors, animals are also very much present in the arts. A number of art museums have decided exhibitions to animals including the Cluny Museum in Paris and MoMA PS1 in New York. Whether simply a humble spectator in an 18th century painting or the central subject of a Courbet painting, animals are present throughout the history of art. From symbolic, to esthetic, to abstract, to animal drawings meant to simply record their appearance...all these representations have played a role in influencing artists and also how we characterise and think of individual animals.

Each civilisation has represented the animal on multiples supports (mosaics, metal, stone, bones, etc.) as seen on the Nerja cave wall paintings in Andalusia discovered in 1925. Animal iconography has had multiple purposes, varying according to the era and place. Bats, for example, are often used to represent death, fear or superstition in Western art, whereas the Chinese see them as a sign of happiness. The omnipresence of animals within cultures across the globe is probably down to the similarities between men and animal, a source of both fascination and fear.

In this selection, Artsper helps you to discover the beauty of the animal kingdom, its diversity, strength and fragility. Artists depict animals in a huge range of mediums: sculpture, painting, photographs, and drawings. Contemporary artists bring an original and poetic vision to their representations of the animals with whom we share our world.

Nina Narimanishvili

Painting . 21 x 25 x 0.1 cm Painting . 8.3 x 9.8 x 0 inch

€850

Recommended by Artsper

Radeau

Christos Kalfas

Fine Art Drawings . 67 x 103 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 26.4 x 40.6 x 0.4 inch

€2,500

Recommended by Artsper

Melancholy Under the Moon. Series: The New Fragility: Original Chiaroscuro Portrait Oil Artwork with Muted Blue and Dark Moody Tones

Nastya Prairie

Painting . 60 x 50 x 2 cm Painting . 23.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

€929

Young Ophelia (Hamlet Reimagines). Series: Velvet Rebels: Contemporary Oil Portrait of a Young Woman with Lipstick in Deep Crimson and Olive Green

Nastya Prairie

Fine Art Drawings . 54 x 39 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 21.3 x 15.4 x 0 inch

€1,208

The Heir (Hamlet Reimagines). Series: Velvet Rebels: Moody Contemporary Portrait Oil Artwork in Warm Gold, Ochre, and Velvet Black Tones

Nastya Prairie

Painting . 80 x 50 x 0.1 cm Painting . 31.5 x 19.7 x 0 inch

€1,765

Love me before I fade: Contemporary Mixed Media Female Portrait Artwork with Gold Leaf, Warm Ochre, and Violet Accents on Paper

The Stolen Hour (Signs of Intimacy series): Warm Minimalist Figurative Oil Artwork on Linen Canvas of a Woman in Quiet Reflection with Candlelight and Champagne Coupe for Modern Serene Bedroom Decor

On the Eve: Minimalist Portrait Artwork with White Ruffled Fabric and Luminous Dark Skin Tones in Sage Green and Cream Oil on Canvas

Velvet Pause (Studies of Stillness series) | Elegant Figurative Oil Artwork | Deep Blue, Magenta & Gold for Modern Interiors

13/34 1 10 11 12 13 14 15 20 30 34

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Shepard Fairey (Obey)

Richard Orlinski

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Keith Haring

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Andy Warhol

Henri Matisse

Pablo Picasso

Alexander Calder

René Magritte

Animal