Animal graphics by famous artists. Animal artist Isaac Terry. Animal oil paintings. Famous paintings and artists of the animal genre. Creators of the East

In fine art it is perhaps the most ancient 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 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 the culture of 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 Chinese artist And Yuanji (early 11th century), famous for painting monkeys, and 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 a dominant, but even a 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 of animals such as the Amur tiger, panda, koala and western gorilla.

And minimalism is a genre in fine art dedicated to our smaller brothers. The heroes of the works of animal artists are animals and birds (animal - from Latin “animal”). Love for life and nature, perception of oneself as a part of the living world - this is what drives the brush of creators, bowing their heads before the creatures to which man is greatly indebted.

History of animalism in painting

Animal artists in their works try to maintain the accuracy of the image of the animal and at the same time add to the image artistic expression. Often the beast is endowed with human traits, actions and emotions. The origins of this art form lie in primitive world when in rock paintings ancient people tried to convey the anatomy of the animal, its beauty and danger to humans.

From the origins of antiquity

Sculptural monuments animals and animal ceramics are an integral part of history Ancient Africa, America and the East. In Egypt, gods were often depicted with the heads of birds and animals. Ancient Greek vases also contain decorative images animals. Animal art was equally developed in all countries.

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages added an allegorical and fabulous quality to images of animals. The favorite characters of the masters of that time were dogs. True friends surrounded a person in everyday life, while walking, hunting. The famous Venetian painter of the 16th century, Veronese, introduces the image of a dog into religious subjects - animals follow the foot of the Savior.

Renaissance

Renaissance masters tried to paint animals from life, which was quite difficult. You can’t force any animal to freeze and pose. IN XVII-XVIII centuries Animal painting is developing rapidly in the Netherlands, France and Russia. Images of animals can be found in paintings Rembrandt, Rubens And Leonardo da Vinci. In Russian creativity, Serov gave special meaning to images of animals - his illustrations to Krylov’s fables convey the ideas of instructive texts with inimitable liveliness and satire.

On the threshold of the millennium

The 19th-20th centuries moved animal painters a little away from romanticism and sublimity in creating images of animals. Realism becomes characteristic feature era. Painters try to accurately convey the anatomy of the animal. Color, pose, habits - everything is so photographic in the paintings that it is sometimes difficult to see the trace of the artist’s brush. Later, hyperrealism became widespread in animal painting, when small details are brought to the fore at the will of the master, who wants to emphasize one of the qualities of the animal.

Famous paintings and artists of the animal genre. Creators of the East

One of the first representatives of animal painting in painting was the Chinese artist Yi Yuanji, who worked at the beginning of the 11th century. He became famous for his unique images of monkeys in scenes imbued with the style of the East. Emperor Xuande of the Ming Dynasty continued his ideas. Drawing monkeys and dogs was his favorite pastime.

Painters from Europe and the world

Famous German Albrecht Durer, who worked during the Renaissance, left numerous watercolors and lithographs that quite realistically convey images of animals ( "Lion", "Rabbit", "Stork" and others).

The Fleming Frans Snyders (XVI-XVII centuries) is considered a truly outstanding animal painter. His still lifes with hunting trophies are real masterpieces that adorn numerous galleries and exhibition halls Europe. Some of the most popular paintings artist - “Deer Hunt”, as well as “Fox and Cat”.

Animal painting was not a popular genre of painting at that time, but the bourgeois liked to order paintings with images of horses and other domestic animals. Portraits of people in the Baroque style often included images of birds and animals.

It is also impossible not to remember one of the strongest animal artists of the 20th century - Canadian Robert Bateman. His bison, elephants, lions, deer and leopards look at the viewer from the window of wildlife, slightly open on the master’s canvas.

Russian artists

Russia has revealed many great animal painters to the world. Vasily Vatagin devoted his life to studying the habits and plasticity of animals. His works in graphics, watercolor and pencil are so piercing that you feel the breath and gaze of the animal on you. Great examples works in the animalistic genre of Serov - "Horse Bathing" And "Oxen".

Another unsurpassed master of Russian animal painting is Konstantin Savitsky. It was his famous bears that ended up in Shishkin’s painting “Morning in pine forest" Evgeny Charushin, Konstantin Flerov, Andrey Marts are representatives of the Soviet period in the development of the direction.

Animal painting in modern world very close to the art of photography. Fine craftsmanship and great love to living beings is required to create such masterpieces. Artists seem to be knocking on the human heart with a request: “Take care of this natural world, it is leaving us.”

Animalistics (Animalistic genre, Animalism) (from lat. animal - animal) - genre fine arts, where the heroes of paintings by animal artists are animals and birds, mainly in painting, photography, sculpture, graphics and less often in decorative arts. Animal studies combines natural sciences 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 among the monuments of the animal style, in art 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 depicted animals in their cave paintings. 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 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 scientific study animals - their anatomy, habits, 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 (c. 1000 - c. 1064) was a 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 main object of this genre of fine art is animals (from the Latin animal - animal).

This genre was widespread in ancient times: stylized images of animals are found in the art of the Ancient East, America, Africa, Oceania and in the folk art of other countries.
Most often we see images of animals in painting, sculpture, graphics, decorative arts, and later in photography.
The animalistic genre can be divided into two directions: natural science and art. In the first case, it is important for the animal artist to accurately depict the animal from the point of view of its physiology, and in the second case - artistic characterization animal, including metaphor (transferring features to animals, inherent in people). This mainly applies to illustrators of fairy tales and fables.

Animalism in painting

Frans Snyders (1579-1657)

Van Dyck "Portrait of Snyders with his wife" (detail of the portrait)
Flemish painter, master of still lifes and animal paintings. Initially, he painted still lifes, but then became interested in animal subjects and hunting scenes. His works amaze with their monumentality and thoughtfulness of compositions, masterly depiction of the physiology of the animal, its vitality and inner strength.

F. Snyders "Boar Hunt" (1625-1630)

Paulus Potter (1625-1654)

Bartholomeus van der Helst "Portrait of Paulus Potter"
The Dutch artist Potter died very young, at the age of 29, but left a whole gallery of paintings with detailed images of domestic animals in meadows, paintings with hunting scenes.

P. Potter "Young Bull"

It was the images of animals that provided him with worldwide fame.
The artist’s most famous painting is “Young Bull”, it is located in the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague.

P. Potter “Horses in the Meadow” (1649)
Horses are the most popular character animal paintings. But each artist has his own attitude towards this strong and noble animal.

George Stubbs (1724-1806)

D. Stubbs “Self-Portrait”

English artist and biologist, one of the leading European animal artists. He thoroughly studied the anatomy of humans and animals at the York Hospital. He is the author of several scientific works, including the work “Anatomy of Horses” (1766), so he could depict animals flawlessly from a scientific point of view.

D. Stubbs "Whistleyjacket" (1762)

Franz Marc (1880-1916)

German painter Jewish origin, representative of German expressionism. He volunteered for the front of the First World War and was killed by a shell fragment during the Verdun operation at the age of 36, leaving his creative plans unrealized.

F. Mark “Blue Horse” (1911)
He often depicted animals (deer, foxes, horses) in natural settings, presenting them as higher, pure beings. This is the romantic painting “The Blue Horse”. Mark's works are distinguished by a bright palette combined with cubist images, sharp and hard color transitions. His painting “The Fate of Animals” is most famous. It is currently on display in art museum Basel (Switzerland).

F. Mark “The Fate of Animals” (1913)
Animal world always attracts not only professional artists, but also children. IN children's world animals occupy no less space than humans.

Samira Sagitova (3 years 8 months) “Funny Chickens”

Jim Killen "Funny Puppies"

Animalism in sculpture

Pyotr Karlovich Klodt (1805-1867)

PC. Klodt
The family of the future sculptor came from the Baltic German aristocrats Klodt von Jurgensburg and consisted of hereditary military men. P. K. Klodt was born in 1805 in St. Petersburg, but he spent his childhood and youth in Omsk - his father served as chief of staff of the Separate Siberian Corps. There the baron's penchant for drawing, carving and sculpting manifested itself. Most of all, the boy loved to depict horses; he saw a special charm in them.

Narva triumphal gate
After graduating from the Academy of Arts, Klodt, together with other experienced sculptors, designed the Narva Gate, the palace pier of the Admiralty Embankment.

Klodt's horses in front of Berlin Castle
His works decorate both the main gate of the royal palace in Berlin and the royal palace in Naples. Copies of the sculptures are installed in gardens and palace buildings in Russia: in the vicinity of St. Petersburg (at the Oryol Palace in Strelna and Peterhof, as well as on the territory of the Golitsyn estate in Kuzminki near Moscow, the Kuzminki-Vlahernskoye estate).

Golitsyn estate in Kuzminka X

Evgeniy Alexandrovich Lanceray (1848-1886)

Russian animal sculptor. Just like Klodt, from childhood he chose a topic that he was passionate about all his life - horses.

E. Lansere “Circassian and a woman on a horse”
Lansere was famous animal painter, perfectly depicted horses, including in historical subjects. He was a master of narrative plastic miniatures, glorified the Russian sculptural school abroad, taking part in world exhibitions in London (1872), Paris (1873), Vienna (1873), Antwerp (1885) and other European cities. His works were cast at many leading factories and bronze foundries of private companies.

Animalism in graphics

Konstantin Konstantinovich Flerov (1904-1980)

Soviet paleontologist, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor. Head of the Paleontological Museum named after. Yu. A. Orlova. Reconstruction artist and animal painter, recreated the appearance of many fossil animals.

He studied at the biology department of Moscow University and at the same time was engaged in drawing and painting. After graduating from university, he worked for 30 years at the Zoological Institute in Leningrad. Participated in many trips and scientific expeditions.
While working at the Darwin Museum in Moscow, Flerov created a series of paintings and sculptures based on biological collections. The knowledge of a professional zoologist and a professional artist allowed him to successfully reconstruct from skeletons appearance animals, create their sculptures and write paintings on themes of the ancient world.

Animalism in photography

With the invention of photography, the possibilities of animal painters expanded significantly. The animal world appears in a huge variety of colors, subjects and species.
We bring to your attention two wonderful photographs by animal photographers from the site www.rosphoto.com

A. Gudkov “Giraffe and Bird”
There is so much love for animals in this photo and sense of humor! And also the ability to “seize the moment.”

S. Gorshkov “Fox”
Sergey Gorshkov is the winner of the Golden Turtle competition in the Photographer of the Year category in 2007 and 2011. Winner international competition Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2007, was awarded the Russian Photographer of the Year prize.
His photograph “Fox” amazes not only with its technique, but also with its psychological depth. Take a closer look at the photograph: the fox’s disposition, her caution, insinuation and cunning are captured brilliantly.

"Bumblebee". Photo by V. Akishina

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-format 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. The animal world is 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 constant love wild nature. 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, 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 specifics of the animal world. It is inspired by large panoramas, as well as close-ups animal looks. 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...