Our selection of Animal paintings

Famous Animal Paintings

A distinction should be made between the artist who represents the animal within a group and the artist who makes animal the main subject. A desire to imitate the nature of animals became the primary focus of Jean-Baptiste Oudry and Alexandre-François Desportes. These game or hunting painters, created animal paintings from the 17^th century onwards. In their animal paintings, the animals were the main subjects in the art (ex: Misse et Lutine, chiens de Louis XV, Cygne attaqué par un chien by Oudry and Débuché de cerfs by Desportes). 

These artists use large formats to enhance the epic dimension of animal paintings. Before them, Albrecht Dürer (Le lièvre) and Leonardo Da Vinci (Études de chevaux) had already embarked on this complex exercise, which demands both patience and meticulousness. In the 19^th century, Eugene Delacroix spent hours in menageries observing lions and tigers that he would sketch then reproduce in his workshop, on large formats (ex: Jeune tigre jouant avec sa mère). These animal paintings express the artists’ keen interest in orientalism, while emphasizing color and movement over lines. 

The Representation of Animals in Painting Over Time

Humans have always drawn inspiration from the fauna and flora surrounding them. Consequently, even dating back to prehistoric times, animals were present in cave animal paintings (e.g: Lascaux). In ancient times, animals became symbols: the cat, the scarab, the lion and the bear, to name but a few, became allegories of power, strength and life, accompanying emblematic figures, such as kings and Pharaohs (art of physiognomy, hybridization, etc.) in royal animal paintings. The same is true in medieval art, where fantastic beasts (dragons, chimeras, etc.) can be found in illustrations of certain religious scenes (e.g: “St. Micheal, Heures à l’usage de Besançon”).

The animal painting genre only appeared in the Western world in the 17^th century with painted representations of hunting scenes. The Age of Enlightenment saw the apparition of zoos and dissection sessions, thus pushing the general public and artists to take an interest in animal biology. Artists studied animal behavior and movements, and started to create paintings where the accuracy of the animal's features and postures was crucial. In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, animal imitation was no longer a popular subject in painting, the relationship between animals and humans became central along with the reconsideration of the animal’s status.