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This Hindu rock relief at Mahabalipuram depicts the Descent of the Ganges (c. Muslims believe that the creation of living forms is something unique to God and, for this reason, Islamic artists tend to express their faith through geometric patterns and calligraphy rather than figurative art. Alternatively, very few depictions of animals exist within Islamic art. Many Hindus also follow a similar belief and, for this reason, much of their artwork depicts the animal world. In Buddhism and Jainism, refraining from the destruction of life is one of the most important sanctions of the faith. Religion has also played a sizeable role in our relationship to animals. The fox is probably a reference to the fable of The Fox and the Grapes. The central medallion of a Greek drinking cup (kylix) depicting Aesop with a Fox (c. This anthropomorphising can frequently be unrelated to an animal's true behaviour – and yet it shapes the way we think about them all the time. Creatures like snakes, spiders and bats are often portrayed as monstrous simply because of their appearance – while "cute" creatures like frogs, cats and rabbits are often seen as non-threatening. In reality, animals are far more complex than the over-simplifications we give them. 600BCE) have become so ingrained in the way that we think about them that we often misinterpret human traits as part of an animal's true nature. Tales like those collected in Aesop’s Fables (c. Many of today's misconceptions about animals stem from the myths, legends, fables and folklore of our past. Are doves typically more peaceful than other birds? Are foxes naturally sly? Are monkeys inherently cheeky? Exaggerating the actions of an animal to represent our own behaviour is now so common that we can barely distinguish between the traits that are inherent in animals and the ones that are assigned. Using animals for self-reflection is common in many early cultures and the idea that our first metaphors were animal metaphors is not an unrealistic one. It also shows the dog-headed Anubis, the ibis-headed Thoth and the crocodile-cum-lion-cum-hippopotamus demon Ammut. 1275 BCE) depicting the god Horus (bottom-row, seventh from the left). A page from the Book of the Dead of Hunefer (c. It was through this ability to recognise – and even project – human characteristics onto animals that we began to use them as a means to understand ourselves. For example, the god Horus was the god of both the sky and hunting and so, as a means to symbolise his majesty and his power, he was depicted with the head of a falcon. In Ancient Egypt, many deities were depicted as animals through stunning works of art.
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We had a new type of reverence for the mysterious nature of the creatures we shared the planet with, and cultures began to worship them as symbols – some even believed that they could be the embodiment of divinity. Feeling more removed meant that animals became more enigmatic. Fuelled by our developing imaginations and our growing sense-of-self we began to feel more distinct from the animal world. Source: Īs we began to become more civilised, our interest in them also changed. A painting in the cave at Lascaux, France (c. Our prehistoric ancestors were fascinated by animals and eager to create representational depictions of them. They were central to nearly everything we did, and our cave paintings reflect that. We hunted them we ate them we wore them as clothes. In our prehistoric days, animals were something we lived alongside. Yet while our fascination for them has always been constant, our relationship with them has changed significantly over time.īy looking at this change, we can begin to see how creativity has been inspired by the animal world and perhaps even begin to understand why illustrated animals continue to be an important part of our cultural construct. From our earliest cave paintings right through to our childhood bookshelves, they have been an endless source of inspiration to us. In this introduction, we will look at how animals have appeared throughout history and get a general overview of how customs, cultures and beliefs have shaped the work of image-makers.Īnimals run through so much of our visual culture that it is almost impossible to know where to begin. Here, we will look at some examples of where illustrators have used animals as sources for inspiration, investigation, and storytelling. By selecting one work from each year, the site explores the contexts in which illustration has existed and picks a unique topic every few months to highlight the diversity of the discipline.įor our third selection, we're turning our attention to the natural world. Illustration Chronicles explores a history of illustration through the images, illustrators and events of the past 175 years.