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.

Recommended by Artsper

Dofanim 2: Vibrant Impasto Oil Still Life Artwork with Flowers, Bottles, and Fruits in Joyful Yellow, Pink, and Turquoise

There are eyes everywhere2: Mysterious Black and White Forest Graphic Drawing, Surreal Ink Liner Artwork with Human Eyes on Birch Trees for Modern Wall Decor

Birch. Guardian of Feminine Strength: Mixed Media Spiritual Woman Artwork with Natural Birch Trees and Botanical Elements in Beige, Green, and Soft Blue

Serafima Antipova

Fine Art Drawings . 60 x 60 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings . 23.6 x 23.6 x 0 inch

€651

The Mountain wanderer: Circular Oil Painting of a Fantasy Forest Guardian Gnome with Mountain Goat and Scenic Alpine Landscape in Green and Brown Earth Tones

Oak. Guardian of the ages.: Earth Tone Tree Spirit Illustration, Mythological Woodland Fantasy Art on Paper, Vintage Parchment Style Ink Drawing

Stream of Thoughts: Tidal Memory | Contemporary Fluid Abstract Artwork with Indigo & Silver Hues, Original Art for Modern Spaces

Purring Girl with a Pearl Earring | Cubist Cat Portrait in Soft Blue, Blush Pink & Nude Tones | Contemporary Figurative Abstract Artwork, Art Parody Canvas

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