Dog Portraiture, Dog Portraits are Nothing New

The Horse Information lives Here! ©
The #1 Horse Industry Information Advertising Directory!
Contact Ann to include your company - About Us

Dog portraiture is Nothing New by Cindy Ho

I would rather see the portrait of a dog that I know, than all the allegorical paintings they can show me in the world. -Samuel Johnson, English writer, 1709-1784

Dogs have been models and muses since the beginning of art. More than 12,000 years ago prehistoric man painted hunting scenes with primitive dogs and dog-like animals on the cave walls of what is now Spain and North Africa. Hunting was the primary function of the dog, and dogs would consistently appear in hunting scenes throughout art history. This was true of the Assyrian reliefs prominently depicting dogs chasing lions, of the Indian paintings of Mughal emperors where Saluki-type dogs chase antelopes, and later, of 18thcentury European paintings of large scale hunts that had become fashionable.

Around the ancient Egyptian and Greek times the image of the dog spread to religious and mythological art. Animals were revered for their superhuman abilities, and in the case of dogs, for their powerful sense of smell. Animal abilities, such as flying or just being able to survive in the wild were seen as god-like, and were portrayed accordingly. Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead, who appeared in hieroglyphs and as sculpture, had the head of a jackal. Dogs were frequently included in paintings of gods and mythology in classical Greek art. Diana the Huntress was accompanied by hounds, and Cerubus, the guardian of Hades, was a triple-headed dog. Also, stylized dogs decorated Greek pottery and sculpture.

But by Roman times, there was a decline of the dog imagery in art. And later in history, dogs and other animals would no longer be considered as divine when humans came to gain more confidence in their world and began believing in a God who made man in his own image. With the spread of Christianity dogs were rarely included in European art, except as some miniatures in illuminated manuscripts. But by the early 11th century dogs reappeared, for example, in tapestry illustrations that were popular at this time. By then animals took a position as subordinate companions to humans. Medieval noblemen would have their canine friends sculpted at the foot of their tombs.

During the Renaissance period, dogs appeared in allegorical, mythological and religious art throughout Europe, but not as the main subject. Italian painters Titian and Veronese painted realistic, detailed dogs accompanying their masters. Spanish painters Antonio Moro and Diego Velasquez painted dogs, usually in children’s portraits. Flemish artist, Jan Van Eyck, painted a spirited terrier in The Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami while German artist, Albrecht Durer, painted anatomically beautiful hunting hounds in The Vision of St. Hubert. Leonardo da Vinci also drew anatomical studies of dogs as a main subject, but more for scientific observation. There was a scientific interest in animals at this time, and dogs were considered to be part of the natural world.

Animal portraiture reached its peak at the beginning of the 18th century. There were dog paintings to note every art movement of the time. In Britain, George Stubbs, Thomas Gainsborough, and Sir Edwin Landseer painted dogs in the styles of realism, naturalism and romanticism, respectively. In the United States, there was a folk art movement where artists would travel from town to town-painting commissions of wealthy families with their dogs. African-American slaves and their dogs working in the field were also documented. One of the successful painters of that time was Amni Phillips, who would include the same resting dog in many of his works, including Girl in Red Dress with Cat and Dog, circa 1834.

Later, impressionist paintings of leisurely middle class life would often include the dog. The importance of the dog as family member was apparent in Renoir’s Madame Charpentier and Her Children, where a large, fluffy Newfoundland named Porthos (named after one of the Threee Musketeers) prominently sets the charmed feel of the painting. Courbet, Manet and Degas also portrayed the dog as having individual personality and playing a social role in human life, sometimes giving a psychological feel to the painting.

Since then, the dog has been shaped into cutouts by Pablo Picasso, into surreal images by Joan Miro, watercolored by Andrew Wyeth, made into silk screens by Andy Warhol, and painted sentimentally by David Hockney. They have peppered the walls of museums and homes. It’s hard to see their popularity as subject matter waning any time soon.

Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring…it was peace. -Milan Kundera

Today, the dog illustration celebrates our favorite pet. My own history of dog portraiture started 15 years ago when I got my Jack Russell Terrier, Captain. I was an obsessed new owner, talking about him endlessly. When I was out with friends, I made them draw him on their cocktail napkins. These were not the most flattering of portraits. One even drew him throwing up, whom I admit; he did often as a puppy. Then another day at the beach, I attempted to sculpt him out of sand. The sand was crumbly, and the outcome was something resembling a baby pig. Finally, an artist friend gave me a drawing of my dogs (by then I had two) for my birthday. I loved receiving it, and so I started drawing my other friends’ dogs for birthdays, anniversaries, and other occasions, or when the pet passed away. I’ve lived with dogs all my life and have come to love all parts of the dog. As I draw them, it’s fun for me to study their spoon-shaped paws and their soft, pink tummies and their chestnut noses and silky ears. My favorite part of drawing happens at about ¾ of the way, when the personality of the dog starts to emerge. And when the portrait is done, it seems to honor the dogs that make our lives happier, funnier, warmer, and richer.

Contact: Pet Portraits By Cindy Ho
503 North Vista St.
Los Angeles, California 90036
Phone: 323-653-1221
Email: cindy_ho@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.cindydrawsdogs.com

To advertise your horse product or service, contact Ann

Articles, Academic Schools, Arena Maintenance, Animal Communicators, Barns, Barn and Accessories, Barn Equipment and Tractors, Breast Collars, Horse Blankets, Horse Books, Horse Videos, Horse Breeders, Horse Camping Gear, Career Schools, Carts and Buggies, Horse Training Clinicians, Equestrian Clothing, Dogs and Puppies, Horse Fencing, Western Art & Furniture, Horse Property for Sale, Horse Products For Sale, Fly Control, Foal Care, Horse Footings, Horse Gifts, Horse Health and Nutrition, Hoof and Leg, Horse Insurance, John Lyons Certified Trainers, Equine Lawyers, Leather Care, Links, Horse Property, Horse Photography, Portable Horse Stalls, Arenas and Roundpens, Horse Riding Schools, Horse Schools, Services for Horses, Horse Trailers, Horse Shipping, Horse Skin Coat Care, Horse Software, Specialty Trainers, Horse Summer Camps, Tack, Horse Trainers, Treats and Snacks, Truck Accessories, Trucks, Horse Vacations, Western Lifestyle