Animalistics (Animalistic genre, Animalism) (from the Latin animal - animal) is a genre of fine art, where the heroes of the paintings of animal artists are animals and birds, mainly in painting, photography, sculpture, graphics and less often in decorative arts. Animal art combines natural science and artistic principles. Artists working in the animalistic genre are called animalists.
The main task of an animalist can be both the accuracy of the image of the animal and artistic and figurative characteristics, including decorative expressiveness or endowing animals with human traits, actions and experiences (for example, depicting anthropomorphic characters in fairy tales and fables).
From sculpture, animalistic ceramics are widespread. Stylized figures of animals are found among the monuments of the animal style, in the art of the Ancient East, Africa, ancient America, V folk art many countries.
The origins of this art form lie in ancient times. Everyone knows that primitive artists in their rock paintings They depicted animals. At the same time, they tried to convey with maximum accuracy the anatomy of the beast, the gracefulness of its movements, and the danger emanating from it.
In Ancient Egypt, animalism received a new coloring. Egyptian gods often had the heads and bodies of animals and birds. Thus, animals turned into heroes of mythological stories. Their image was of a religious nature and was part of Egyptian culture.
Images of animals are found in the most different nations ancient East, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Images of animals and birds can be seen on vases Ancient Greece. Their images are popular in both painting and sculpture.
In the Middle Ages, animals began to be depicted as heroes of folklore. These were allegorical, fairy-tale images.
In Europe, the animalistic genre in painting has been gaining popularity since the 17th century in the Netherlands and Flanders, and from the 18th century in France and Russia. Even the famous Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Durer, Rubens depicted animals in their paintings. Later, in addition to the admiration for the strength, beauty and dexterity of animals, characteristic of romanticism, the topic of their precise study became relevant.
Rice. 71. Albrecht Durer “Hare”, 1502
Rice. 72. Eugene Delacroix “Young Tigress with Her Mother”, 1798-1863
A couple of centuries (XIX and XX) are marked by the peak of popularity of this genre artistic graphics. Soviet animal painters successfully combined science and aesthetics in their work. Accurate knowledge of the animal world and a close relationship with it were intertwined in a creative tandem with the beauty and decorative appeal of the images.
During the Renaissance, artists first began to draw animals from life. It was quite difficult to do this, because unlike people, animals are not able to pose.
During the late Middle Ages, dogs became the favorite animalistic characters of brush masters - man’s most faithful and devoted friends, hunting assistants, and everyday companions. Some artists, for example Veronese, depict them in their canvases dedicated to divine history. For this most prominent Venetian painter of the 16th century, dogs are present wherever the Savior steps.
In Russian painting, images of animals carry a certain meaning. For example, the artist Serov, when making illustrations for Krylov’s fables, dresses the animals in clothes and gives their images a satirical subtext. Animals take on human characteristics.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the public became interested in the scientific study of animals - their anatomy, habits, and peculiarities of existence. Therefore, the images turn from romantic to more real. Artists learn to depict with maximum accuracy the structure of fur, the color of plumage, body parts and characteristic poses of animals.
Today, animalism in painting is closely intertwined with the art of photography. Interest in depicting animals does not fade. They are part of living nature, that beauty that artists have admired at all times. Conveying images of animals and birds in images requires a special approach and subtle skill. Many paintings by animal artists are recognized high works art.
Main animal artists:
- Yi Yuanji (about 1000 - about 1064) - Chinese artist, especially known for his skill in painting monkeys.
- Zhu Zhanji (1398-1435) - Chinese emperor and master of drawing dogs and monkeys.
- Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) - German painter and graphic artist.
- Frans Snyders (1579-1657) - Flemish painter.
- Jan Wildens (1586-1653) - Flemish painter.
- Jan Faith (1611-1661) - Flemish artist and engraver.
- Ivan Grot (1717-1801) - Russian painter.
- George Stubbs (1724-1806) - English painter.
- Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863) - French painter and schedule.
- Joseph Wolf (1820-1899) - German graphic artist and painter.
- Brighton Riviere (1840-1920) - English painter.
- Vasily Vatagin (1883-1969) - Russian painter and sculptor.
- Evgeny Charushin (1901-1965) - Russian graphic artist, Honored Artist of the RSFSR.
- Konstantin Flerov (1904-1980) - Russian paleontologist, graphic artist and painter, Doctor of Biological Sciences.
- Nikolai Kondakov (1908-1999) - Russian biologist, illustrator, PhD.
- Andrey Marts (1924-2002) - famous Soviet and Russian animal sculptor, Honored Artist of the RSFSR.
- Robert Bateman (born 1930) is a Canadian animal artist.
- Rien Poortvliet (1932-1995) - Dutch illustrator.
- Marina Efremova (born 1961) is a Russian animal artist.
The animalistic direction of painting originated in ancient times, so it can be considered the oldest type of fine art. Today, the works of animal artists attract the attention of representatives of non-creative professions: biologists and natural scientists. This is due to the fact that it is much more difficult to capture the character of the animal in a photograph. And the goal of the work of any master of fine art working in the genre of animalism is to convey the character of an animal or bird in a certain setting.
Thus, animal painting combines natural and artistic features. Today, the animalistic movement is closely intertwined with the art of photography. Conveying the image of an animal or bird requires high professionalism. And we can say with confidence that it is impossible to correctly convey the character of an animal without being a protector environment and the animal world.
Creativity of foreign animal artists
One of the most famous foreign animal artists is the Canadian master Robert Bateman. His works are very popular; the artist’s paintings are in many private collections and several museums. The artist takes an active life position in the field of environmental protection and is a member of many world-renowned environmental organizations. He has repeatedly received prestigious awards and prizes.
Among the features of Robert Bateman's work, the following can be noted:
- Maximum realism of the images depicted; paintings are sometimes difficult to distinguish from photographs;
- The presence of plot paintings, in the foreground of which there are always animals.
To others well-known representative foreign animalistic movement is the German master Julius Adam. He became famous for his story paintings, which depicted cats. The artist’s canvases are especially popular as they reflect the character of domestic animals, which are a symbol of home comfort and well-being.
Amazingly talented by nature Belgian artist- animal artist Karl Brenders. He manages to catch the naturalist with his tenacious gaze interesting moments from the life of animals. It seems that all the secrets of nature are revealed to him, which he captures on canvas through fine art.
Back to the animalist again. I love. But I haven’t found my author yet. Or rather, I found it, but not fully... Modern animal painting, unfortunately, in the vast majority of cases is a direct copy from photographs. Absolutely without fantasy or imagination. Often, even the background is blurred, as in photographs from full-length professional SLR cameras. Artists do not even to a small extent use the limitless possibilities of painting in creating an original plot. At the same time, they receive global recognition...For what?...And for mastering the technique oil painting. For this, I bow to the masters... But I want more - dynamics and plot... You can understand when static photographic oil paintings are produced by newcomers to the art of painting, but when they are produced by recognized world-class masters, this is already a little upsetting. Today is the same case...
You can say that I am contradicting myself, saying that in previous posts I spoke completely differently about the work of hyperrealists, but today... Let me clarify... I don’t want expression, I don’t want a change in style and manner of writing, I want PLOT. Animal world VERY conducive to the plot. Just a giant field for imagination. Why do animal artists limit themselves to copying photographs of animals?...
Although, maybe these paintings simply do not end up on the Internet... I will try to publish the next post with an animal artist who will show fantasy and imagination on his canvases, at least a little...
And today is an animal artist Isaac Terry. Among many other authors, his paintings are distinguished by greater perfection. And sometimes even the plot...
I must also say that I am not sure about the oil nature of the paintings. The pictures are small, and therefore it is difficult to see the equipment. I read somewhere on an English-language resource that Isaac Terry paints with acrylic...
Wildlife artist Isaac Terry grew up in Oregon's Willamette Valley. It was there that he found his lifelong love of the wild. Drawing inspiration straight from his backyard, which offered a captivating vista of the Northwestern United States, he began creating his animal art. Now he lives in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. The place of residence has changed, but the artist’s aspirations remain the same. He transferred all his love for nature to Canada and to this day continues to create pictures of the animal world and their habitats. Terry travels all over the world to capture the most breathtaking images, but the main focus of his work is still the same as in the beginning. creative path, continues to be in the circle of northern birds and mammals.
Isaac Terry developed an interest in the arts, starting with animation and cartooning. After graduating from art college, he was drawn to illustrating children's books, but did not stay in this field for long, as he was soon again captured by his childhood passion for wildlife. Since the mid-1980s, he has created his own brand of realistic wildlife art, with an emphasis on dramatic light and the specificity of the animal world. It is inspired by large panoramas as well as close-up views of animals. He was interested in a wide range of animals - from small birds to whales.
Nowadays the artist is successful in selling posters from his paintings. He makes them on high level. Just as in the case of paintings, posters are distinguished by their small number. In some cases, printing is made to order. The cost of a quality poster is about $400-600.
At the end of the post there is a video with the artist Isaac Terry. You can look at what a person who loves looks like wildlife and some of his works that were not included in this short article...
Animalistic genre or animalistics- a type of fine art whose main motif is the depiction of animals. In addition to painting and graphics, animalism is often used in sculpture, photography, decorative and applied arts, in literature and other arts.
The animalistic genre, as confirmed by archaeological excavations and research by historians, is the most ancient of all the genres that man has mastered. It is the images of animals that are found in the most ancient rock paintings, on household items, jewelry, amulets, weapons, and so on. Animalism of antiquity is often called"animal style". Animal style is characterized by ornamental and stylized images, which sometimes look very abstract, and sometimes very realistic and believable.
Currently, animalism is no less in demand and popular. Many artists turn to images of living nature and, in particular, animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and insects.
The animalistic genre is the artist’s admiration for the world around him and the abundance of life. The wealth of animal species that live on our planet cannot help but inspire. People themselves, being an inseparable part of nature, and at the same time often negatively influencing nature and animals, deep down in their souls feel their kinship with it and try to express it in the form of environmental protection or in the form of creativity.
Many artists, sculptors and writers humanize animals, which is expressed in allegories and symbols. Animals in such paintings have human intelligence, are capable of deep emotions and commit various reprehensible or worthy actions. Man, through objects animal art, looks not only at the beauty of the living world, but also at himself, as if through the symbols of a distorting mirror, finding hidden flaws and virtues in himself and other people. Also common in animal art are realistic and hyperrealistic styles, when animals are depicted with increased attention to detail.
The most famous artists animal genre are: Jan Wildens, Paulus Potter, Eugene Delacroix, Philippe Rousseau, Evgeny Charushin, Nikolai Kondakov, Vasily Vatagin, Mikhail Kukunov, Igor Skorobogatov and many others.
Paintings in the animalistic genre
IN fine arts is perhaps the oldest in history. Our ancestors scraped out images of animals on the walls of their caves with sharp stones. Proof of this is in France.
Many centuries have passed since then. Painting, drawing and sculpture acquired rich history, and the animalistic genre is paintings famous artists Evidence of this is that it has become less popular. However, despite the emergence of new image objects, such as people, architecture, landscapes and much more, animalism has not ceased to be in demand both among artists and art lovers.
Animalistic genre in fine art: paintings depicting the animal world
Animalism is the depiction of animals on objects of art. This genre is not limited to drawing and painting, but is actively used in a number of other forms of art. Many artists and critics consider animalism to be the most universal genre in the world, since images of animals are characteristic of people of all eras and cultures.
Images of animals are also characteristic of works of art created in another genre. For example, famous painting Shishkin "Morning in pine forest" Shishkin is the greatest landscape painter in the history of Russian art, and Morning in a Pine Forest is without a doubt a landscape, but with elements of the animal genre. It is worth noting that Shishkin did not paint his famous bears; they were made by animal artist Konstantin Savitsky.
This practice was extremely popular among animal painters. For example, Frans Snyders is one of the most famous artists animalistic genre - often painted animals in Rubens's paintings. It is noteworthy that not all artists, even the most famous, could cope with the depiction of animals and birds.
History of the animal genre
The depiction of animals is the most ancient passion for which did not fade until the Renaissance and the centralization of the focus on man with his classical ideals. It is noteworthy that even in the era of classicism, animals were depicted on vases, mosaics and frescoes with enviable regularity.
Our early ancestors, scraping on stone walls From their crude homes, the figures of those animals hunted and those they fled from sought to systematize life and the environment, educate descendants, and pay tribute to nature. It is worth noting that the figures of animals were often depicted in much more detail than the figures of human hunters. This early animalism is usually called the animal style.
Later in culture ancient egypt, Mesopotamia, India and other regions, it was popular to depict deities in the form of animals or to deify the representatives of the fauna themselves. Thus, images of animals ended up on religious objects, tomb walls and jewelry.
Oddly enough, the animalistic genre in fine art began to accept modern features It was during the Renaissance - an era when painting was predominantly religious. Although it is worth noting that most genres took shape thanks to the Renaissance.
Animalistic genre: artists
The first representatives of the animalistic genre in art are the Chinese artist Yi Yuanji (early 11th century), who became famous for his depictions of monkeys, and the Chinese Emperor Xuande from (mid-15th century), who painted monkeys and dogs as a hobby.
In Renaissance Europe, the animalistic genre was developed by one of the greatest representatives of the Northern Renaissance, Albrecht Durer. While his contemporaries wrote religious subjects, Dürer actively studied flora and fauna; his watercolors, drawings and lithographs indicate that one of the pillars of Renaissance art was interested in the animalistic genre. Paintings by famous artists of that time rarely deviated from the accepted norms of painting, but even in the paintings of Leonardo and Raphael, animals and birds still appear, albeit rarely.
The most outstanding and famous animal artist is the Flemish painter Frans Snyders. He became especially famous for his still lifes of hunting trophies.
Animalism in painting
During the Renaissance, Baroque, classicism, romanticism and subsequent styles, animalism was never not only dominant, but even popular genre. However, talented animal artists could make a decent living by collaborating with other artists, such as Frans Snyders.
Aristocrats and the bourgeoisie, especially in England, commissioned images of leading horses at races or their favorites. Many portraits of the same Baroque era featured people with pets. In a military portrait it was necessary to depict leaders on horseback. Often, many aristocrats preferred to be depicted in portraits in the saddle. The animalistic genre in painting was also popular among the bourgeoisie, especially for images of hunting and caught game.
Animalistic genre in sculpture
Images of animals in sculpture are very popular all over the world. From the "She-Wolf of the Capitol" and the "Lion of Brunswick" to " Bronze Horseman" and "Berlin Bear" - animal sculptures often become symbols of cities and historical events.
Especially among animal sculptors, Antoine-Louis Bari, who worked in the era of romanticism, stands out. His sculptures are distinguished by the drama and energy characteristic of romantics. Bari, however, was an extremely talented sculptor who studied in detail the anatomy and plasticity of animals. According to him, depicting an animal in motion requires special observation, because anatomy alone is not enough. Each animal has its own plasticity, manner of movement and characteristic habits that must be captured in order for the image to turn out natural.
Other types of animalism
The animalistic genre has not bypassed photography. Today, many professional photographers and talented amateurs pay attention to the natural beauty and strength of animals. This is especially true against the background modern problems environment and the desire of many people and organizations to pay attention to them and prevent possible disasters that threaten us with the loss of beautiful and fascinating species such as the Amur tiger, panda, koala and western gorilla.
