Paintings by animal artists. Animal artist Isaac Terry. Animal oil paintings. Vasily Alekseevich Vatamgin

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 - paintings by famous artists are evidence of this - 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, one of the most famous artists of the animal genre, often painted animals in the paintings of Rubens. 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 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 developed one of greatest representatives 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. Animalistic genre in painting he was also popular with 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 Amur tiger, panda, koala and western gorilla.

Animalistics (Animalistic genre, Animalism) (from the Latin animal - animal) - 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 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 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 of artistic graphics. Soviet animal painters successfully combined science and aesthetics in their work. Exact knowledge the animal world, a close relationship with it 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 times late Middle Ages Dogs, the most faithful and devoted friends humans, hunting assistants, 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 as high works of 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 schedule.
• 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.

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.

Frans Snyders (1579-1657) - Flemish painter.

Jan Veit (1611-1661) - Flemish artist and engraver.

Paulus Potter (1625-1654) - Dutch painter.

David Koninck (1636-1699) - Flemish painter.

Karl Kuntz (1770-1830) - German painter and engraver.

Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863) - French painter and graphic artist.

Pyotr Klodt (1805-1867) - Russian sculptor.

Philippe Rousseau (1816-1887) - French painter.

Joseph Wolf (1820-1899) - German graphic artist and painter.

Brighton Riviere (1840-1820) - English painter.

Franz Marc (1880-1916) - German expressionist 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 Science.

Nikolai Kondakov (1908-1999) - Russian biologist, illustrator, candidate of sciences.

A few words about some of them:

Christophe Drochon

Born in France, on the outskirts of Paris, in 1963, his talent as an artist was not immediately noticed. Christophe's schoolteacher even told his mother that her son would never achieve great success in painting. But this did not cool his passion for art - Drochon enthusiastically free time devoted himself to painting on his own and, thanks to his talent and hard work, proved that the school teacher was wrong. The future artist spent his childhood in Paris; he did not see wildlife and knew nothing about the natural habitat of wild animals. But when Christophe went to school, his family settled near the Vincennes Zoological Park, and in the summer they traveled to the southwest of France. There he spent a lot of time carefully observing animals and making sketches. His interest in nature grew, and his observations taught him to deeply understand and empathize with animals. Drochon's amazing work, his skill and technique realistic image animals delight and fascinate nature lovers. However, his depiction of animals is different from the usual. In his works, animals and landscape always serve as symbols to express the artist's ideas and illustrate his emotional state. He tries to convey to the viewer an awareness of the impermanence of the world. In many of his drawings, the eyes of animals are very expressive, which makes the essence of living nature more tangible and brings us closer to self-knowledge.

Sonia Reid

Born in the USA in Cullman in 1964. She studied at Auburn University. In 1988, she successfully graduated from Winfrop College with a Bachelor of Noble Arts degree and worked as an interior designer for 8 years. Sonya has always loved animals and enjoyed the beauty of nature. Deciding to devote all her time to depicting them, she leaves for Africa. Having visited the famous Ngoro-Ngoro crater in Tanzania, Sonya fell in love with the nature of this continent. Africa became her passion. In her oil and graphite paintings, she tries to show everything that touched her soul and encourage viewers to protect and glorify wild nature. Her paintings have won numerous awards at numerous exhibitions. Another passion of the artist is photography and collecting books about Africa and its nature.

Dan D. Amico

Dan lives in a mountain valley near Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Dan's interest in art began very early. He spent so much time drawing horses and rabbits that his parents, in an attempt to save paper, gave him a chalk board. While studying at High school arts, Dan developed an interest in impressionism. He felt a special kinship with the art of Claude Monet and admired the art of Andre Vieta, whose style greatly influenced Dan’s further work. Originally self-taught, Dan completed a master class with Robert Bateman in 1991 and then studied with famous artist Bob's Kitchen, because believes that an artist must learn, grow and experiment throughout his life. One of the main tasks of an artist, according to Dan, is to share the beauty of the world around him. He says, “If I can move someone to appreciate the play of light on damp autumn grass, I feel like I can touch their soul. The viewer cannot experience a moment of inspiration, he can only come into contact with the picture, passing it through his own sensations.” Dan tries to create a mood by evoking reciprocal feelings or memories. In his works he tries to truthfully convey not only appearance animal, but also its feelings. In 1991, Dan was elected a member of the Animal Artists Organization.

animal painting canvas

Nikolai Nikolaevich Kondakov

Born in 1908 in the city of Ryazan. After graduating from school, he entered the biological faculty of Moscow state university. Labor activity started while still a student at the Murmansk Biological Station. After graduating from university, he worked in many research institutes in Vladivostok, Moscow and Leningrad. In the 20s of the 20th century he defended his PhD thesis on the study of squid. He took part in many expeditions. His main contribution to biological science was his drawings of various representatives of the fauna. These illustrations were included in many publications, such as TSB, the Red Books of the USSR, the RSFSR, in animal atlases, in teaching aids. In total, Kondakov made several tens of thousands of drawings during his life.

Flerov Konstantin Konstantimovich

(February 4, 1904 - July 26, 1980) - Soviet paleontologist, Doctor of Biological Sciences, professor. Head of the Paleontological Museum named after. Yu.A. Orlova (1946--1972), participant of the Soviet-Mongolian paleontological expedition. A reconstruction artist and animal painter, he recreated the appearance of many fossil animals and was widely cited in illustrations of paleontological themes in the second half of the 20th century.

Evgemny Ivamnovich Charumshin

(October 29 (November 11, old style) 1901, Vyatka, now Kirov - February 18, 1965, Leningrad) - Soviet graphic artist, sculptor and writer. Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1945). The son of the architect I.A. Charushina.

Vasily Alekseevich Vatamgin

(1883/1884 - 1969) - Russian and Soviet graphic artist and animal sculptor. People's Artist RSFSR (1964). Full member of the USSR Academy of Arts (1957). Laureate Stalin Prize third degree (1952). Professor of the Moscow Higher Art and Industrial School (formerly Stroganov School).

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 traits inherent in humans to animals). 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 power.

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 most famous picture artist - “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 in 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), therefore 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 unfulfilled.

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)
The 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 Narva Gate, palace pier of the Admiralteyskaya embankment.

Klodt's horses in front of Berlin Castle
His works adorn the main gate of the royal palace in Berlin, and 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”
Lanceray was a famous animal painter, he depicted horses beautifully, including in historical stories. He was a master of narrative plastic miniatures, glorified the Russian school of sculpture abroad, taking part in world exhibitions in London (1872), Paris (1873), Vienna (1873), Antwerp (1885), etc. 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.
Working in Darwin Museum In Moscow, Flerov performed 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 them sculptural images 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