Animals in art

About

Real and fantastic animals might be the oldest motif in human-made art. From the "moving" horses painted on the walls of Chauvet Cave (see "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" by Werner Herzog) around 30.000 years ago to the "Unicorn Tapestries" of the 16th century, the religious animal themed art of Ancient Egypt to Edward Saidi Tingatinga painting under colonial rule, animals have always inspired artists around the world to do their very best. This sub page collects artworks of animals I have seen on travels around the world or really just the wall of a toilet stall near me.

Slideshow

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Observations

Animals in architecture

In architecture, animals aren't solely decorative, sometimes they are part of structural features such as columns or have a practical use, such as gargoyles that are a decorative water outlet for gutters on representative buildings. Most of the time, however, they are used to beautify facades, doors, windows or signs.

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Animal statues

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Paintings

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Animals in Western religious art

Animals have been part of religious symbolism in many religions around the world. They can be a symbol for a certain moral trait in a certain tradition or even a symbol for a God/Goddess themselves. Churches and temples, even when centered around human figures such as Christian saints, will, a lot of times, also contain depictions of animals.

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Street art

Street art makes use of animal depictions in murals, graffiti, on stickers or paintings, to either leave an individualized tag, for example calling yourself "the flamingo" and spraying flamingos everywhere, or to tell a story and share a message. The rough style doesn't always make it easy to identify the kind of animal that is depicted.

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Animals in Ancient Egyptian art

In Ancient Egypt (circa 3150 BC - 30 BC) animals played a crucial role in daily life, not only as source for food, leather, wool and other materials, but also as pets and individuals to share space with. Different kinds of anthropomorphized deities emerged over the course of centuries and were carried over into ever changing beliefs. Depictions of animals became part of symbols in the alphabet (commonly called "hieroglyphs") and decorated cities, buildings and temples.

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Exhibition : Saurierpark Kleinwelka

"Saurierpark Kleinwelka" is located near Bautzen / Germany, very close to the Polish border. The park was started by sculptor Franz Gruß (1931-2006) in 1978 and features over 200 sculptures of extinct animals such as dinosaurs, sauropods and early mammals and birds. Gruß based his work on the scientific beliefs of what these animals looked like at the time he designed the sculptures. The park has carried on this tradition. New works are based on what archeologists / paleontologists believe, an animal looked like at the time when the sculpture is first created. All sculptures are made from structural metal mesh, concrete and a textural layer to add details such as scales and hair before being painted. The park itself is mostly centered around family activities and entertainment and does not try to be a outdoor museum.

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