by Kenneth Clark translated by Zhang Gan
Human feelings for animals have always been a mixture of fear, worship, greed, cruelty and love, and this entangled emotion is vividly expressed in art. Recently, the art history book "Animals and Humans: The Relationship between the Two from Prehistoric to the Present" released by " China National Geographic " interprets the relationship between animals and humans in Western art works and reveals the artistic traditions and social factors behind it. Among them are harmonious coexistence in symbiosis, human worship and fear of animals; observation and aesthetic examination of animals, and cruelty during hunting and killing...
The Paper Special Selected Book Chapter "Petered Animals" for readers.
manet "Cat on the Roof"
Love for animals is often regarded by intellectuals as an example of modern sentimentality. So at the beginning of this part, I would like to take a person's feelings as an example. His thoughts are great, and this person is undoubtedly Leonardo da Vinci . "He loves horses and all animals, and he devotes his greatest love and patience to this. When he passes a bird market, he will take the birds out of the cage, buy them at the price, and let them fly into the sky, giving them the freedom they lost." The well-known record of Vasari is confirmed by the manuscript of Leonardo , especially an early traveler named Corsali wrote in a book that in the era when Leonardo lived, there was a gentle tribe who never ate the meat of any creature, just like our Leonardo da Vinci. Therefore, Leonardo is not only a vegetarian, but a vegetarian, and this consistency is very rare among animal lovers today.
However, it seems to be an overly subtle, or at least very subjective task to distinguish between observation and love in painting. Stubs' example is particularly typical, both his "Green Monkey" and "Sweeping Hambleton" can be placed in this section. However, there is still a clear difference between Vittore Carpaccio or Titian's puppy and Pisanello's sketches, which is one of the most important factors in the relationship between humans and animals. If the horse is the hero in the previous article, then the dog is the hero in this part.
Why isn't it a cat? This is a mystery. The number of cat lovers may be as many as dog lovers, and they may love them better. They play an important role in literature, cats inspire good poetry, and dogs induce bad poetry. And cats look very beautiful and can be a subject that painters cannot resist. But the fact remains that since ancient Egypt, there have been very few works that express cats in art. Leonardo da Vinci draws cats more out of curiosity than love. Chardin 's cat is drawn with a bit of cute evil, and is hardly more friendly than Manet's "Cat on the Roof".
cats written by Jiliko
Jiliko like to show cats' sports, but they are not like domestic animals and are more suitable for being classified as leopard and lioness , but they are smaller; the cat's head painted by Delacroix is also unparalleled.
Hogarth Cats in "Graham's Children"
It seems that only in "Graham's Children" can those longing London cats be regarded as friends of family, while a sexy kitten in the painting of "Pierre-Auguste Renoir" makes people feel that it has a very close relationship with the little girl.
Renoir's cat
French-Swiss painter Théophile Alexandre Steinlen seems to be the only talented artist in the late 19th century who likes to paint cats. Otherwise, they can only be left to mediocre people like Henrietta Ronner to draw. Cats are alienated and independent. There may be many environments that are very favorable to them, but they are unfamiliar to humans.But, apart from China, why do they inspire only poets rather than painters?
19 The cat
html written by the French and Swiss painter Théophile Alexandre Steinlen in the late centuryHowever, the dog appeared in the art works quite late. The first masterpiece in the illustration is "The Lotus" in the 6th century BC collected in the Acropolis Museum of Athens . The theme of a shepherd carrying a calf on his shoulder is visualized through formal integration and the unification of animals, which is far more adorable than the Egyptian gods with animal heads.
Acropolis Museum of Athens Collection "The Lotus" from the 6th century BC
Although only one piece of the ancient Lotus has been preserved to this day, there must have been others, because this theme was resurrected in Christianity and one of the most famous early Christian carvings, "The Good Shepherd", was once collected in the Rutland Museum. There are also some works that show good shepherds to be preserved, but are usually roughly made. Then, somehow, the subject disappeared. Is it the subject matter because of its connection with paganism? Or is it because the close integration of animals and humans threatens the Christian creed about the unique superiority of the human soul? We have no way of knowing, we can only regret losing a theme that can greatly enrich the art of sculpture.
One of the early Christian carvings "Good Shepherd"
I turned from great things to small things because human love for animals is usually manifested in small works of art, which is actually an adult toy. Our relationship with animals contains a strong game component. In the process of playing with them, we forget the difference between them - language ability. Children would rather play with a teddy bear than like a little doll, and they also had a long imaginary conversation with the teddy bear. In this way, the barriers between humans and animals are broken. This natural communication continues until adolescence, sometimes even later. How many boarding school kids are more concerned about separation from their teddy bears than their parents? (I was told that kids are now allowed to go to school with their toys.) How many adults are still reading "" by Kenneth Graham (Kenneth Graham ) and the book by Bitrix Porter , in which they are able to enjoy the fantasy that animals can speak like humans!
Blue Little Hippo
Among the countless toys made of "beloved animals", I can only give three examples: the Little Blue Hippo, which is the most popular in Ancient Egyptian ; the 6th century BCH Greece pottery owl; and a bronze pig unearthed from Herculaneum. Its vitality and joy can bring me more happiness than the perfect bronze male statue of the Hellenistic period in the Naples Museum.
Bronze Pig
There are two memorable chapters in the Homer epic, showing that the love and understanding of animals can be traced back to ancient times. The first paragraph is in " Iliad ", which describes Achilles' horses learning that their driver "has been killed in battle and died in the hands of Hector who kills without blinking." They refused to leave without Otto Modong's coaxing and whipping. "They stood motionlessly - like a stone tablet, standing on the grave, guarding a dead man or woman - quietly driving a beautifully crafted chariot, with low heads and faces against the ground, tears pouring out, wet with dust - they mourn their masters." Another is a clip from " Odyssey ", Odysseus disguised himself from Penelope and the suitor, but It was recognized by his old dog: "The old dog Argos was covered in ticks and was lying on a pile of feces. At that time, when he noticed the arrival of Odysseus, he shook his tail and retracted his erect ears, but he was unable to move his body, close to his master, and get closer to him - the latter caught a glimpse of this scene and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes..."
These are the beautiful animal works in Greek art .But I think the love for animals increased in the Middle Ages, when the pride of human reason was limited to clergy, and the vast majority of lay people were illiterate. The contemporaries of St. Francis must be very happy to hear him referring to animals as his brothers and sisters, which is recorded in the widely circulated "Fioretti" among the lay people, and this feeling of being close to animals will inevitably be rejected by the official view of the Roman Catholic Church. St. Francis talks to the hungry wolf of Gubbio and holds its claws, he makes the wolf swear that if the inhabitants of the city give it food, it will no longer hurt people, and this story has an attraction beyond the boundaries of doctrine or common sense.
Dog beside the bed of a medieval gentleman
Dog beside the bed of a medieval gentleman
In "Luxury Time Prayer", two puppies are allowed to attend a banquet.
We know that when a medieval gentleman went to bed, a dog would warm each other at his feet until his owner was finally occupied by the chill of death and kept this position. We know that Duke of Burgundy , as always, indulged himself, raised 1,500 dogs; in the Très Riches Heures, two puppies were allowed to feast and eat next to the plate.
Jan van Ike "Arnolfini's couple is like " puppy
In the work that is probably the first full-body portrait, a puppy occupies the prospect of the picture. Jan Arnolfini's dog lets us know a new resident of the animal world, a furry pet dog. It has always shared human love like Mastiff or Great Dane , until today.
The puppy that appears in the Kluni Unicorn Tapestry
As expected, one of them appears in the Kluni Unicorn Tapestry with the title "Mon seul désir" (my only wish), which seems to be the most popular of all the beloved animals in this fascinating series.
The puppy in Calpacho's pen appears in the study of St. Augustine
A furry puppy was even allowed to enter the study of st. A surprisingly, it sat between armillary sphere and astral disk , watching the saint witness the illusion of Saint Jerome's death. Who else would put it there except Calpacho? It can be inferred from Calpacho's entire lifestyle that he likes dogs, and he left us with the most realistic dog in the painting, squatting at the feet of a sitting socialite, this painting collected in the Correll Museum in Venice has been praised by Ruskin .
The dog written by Calpacho The collection of the Venetian Correll Museum
Among the Italian artists, another sure-fire dog lover is Paul Veronese . Among his at least 6 magnificent works, including The Last Supper, a dog, usually a large one. Paul Veronese was the only one allowed to be with his dog when Henry Hugh Armstead carved the pedestal for the Albert Memorial.
Piero di Cosimo The Death of Procris (suggested to be viewed in horizontal screen)
The most popular dog in the Renaissance was the one drawn in "The Death of Procris" by Piero di Cosimo. The dead girl lay on the ground, mourned by two creatures, one was half-human and half-beasted with goat legs, he gently caressed her, and a dog, looking at her with human sorrow and seriousness.
Piero Di Cosimo Forest Fire Oxford University Ashmolin Museum
Among all the Renaissance artists, Piero Di Cosimo, who hates humans the most, seems to have the greatest sympathy for animals, leaving us with a painting that is completely based on animals.This is " Forest Fire" collected in the Ashmolin Museum of Oxford University. It is a series of paintings that express early human history. Perhaps Piero conjectured it from Lucrecius and Vitruvius based on his own understanding.
However, although humans do not appear, bulls, bears, and some deer and pigs with human faces can be found. The combination of animals and humans that obsessed the Egyptians came into being in the mind of Piero di Cosimo. He created a "Centaur and the Lapitese" which showed cruel and tyrannical scenes, which was collected in , the National Gallery of Britain, . These ferocious centaurs in early Greek mythology also appeared in the mastoid walls of Olympia . Homer once described a wise centaur, Achilles mentor Chiron, who, influenced by him, began to take a more friendly view of this half-human animal during the ancient and Renaissance.
Botticelli Minerva teaches centaurs The Uffizi Gallery is
No work is more moving than the Minerva teaches centaurs the Botticelli painting. This work is collected in the Uffizi Gallery. The dignified and beautiful goddess stroked his hair, and he looked back at her, with a look of gratitude and awe on his face, and he was a little afraid of the wisdom flowing out of the goddess' fingers that would complicate his animality.
Titian's puppy in the portrait of Clarice Strozzi
Jan Arnoffini decided to let the artist draw his puppy into his portrait. Unlike his wife, the puppy was obviously painted based on real objects, a practice that would appear in many portraits for the next century. I cited the portraits of Titian for Clarice Strozzi (like the cats in Graham's Children), which look more vivid than children, as is the famous portrait of Giovanni dell'Acquaviva in Cassel.
Velasquez's Hunter accompanying Cardinal Fernando's Hunter
Velasquez's Hunter accompanying Prince Bardasa Carlos's Hunter
This practice continues to the next century, and some of the most exciting portraits of dogs appeared in the works of Diego Velasquez, such as Cardinal Infante Don Fernando and Prince Bardasa Carlos' Hunter.
Velazquez's snow-white puppy accompanying Prince Prospero
No puppy in the painting is more pleasing than the snow-white puppy accompanying Prince Prospero.
Velasquez Dog in "Housemale" (Las Meninash)
But Velasquez sees further. In Las Meninas, the gloomy animal lying in front of the dwarf is not only the greatest dog in art, but also adds a touch of disturbingness to the gentle, elegant scenes painted by the painter. It seemed to respond to the contempt of the arrogant dwarf (Mary Barbera) behind him. As usual, this mysterious artist leaves us confused by his true intentions.
Gensborough White animals that look like fox in Perdita Robinson
British 18th century portrait painters were undoubtedly influenced by Titian and continued to let dogs be the companion of the people in their paintings. The most elegant one is the white animal that looks like a fox in Thomas Gainsborough's Perdita Robinson, which I can't classify into any modern dog species - it may be the closest to the White Fox, but it seems quite well-educated, and we think it will definitely win the award at the Crufts Dog Show.
Ginsborough's double portrait of the animal in "A Morning Walk"
But is it really Pandita's dog? It reappears in Gainsborough's double portrait "A Morning Walk".It is also the theme of a painting collected by Tate Art Museum . This painting is one of the earliest portraits of dogs in the Tate Art Museum collection. It seems to have belonged to Abel, a friend of Gainsborough. In any case, he loved painting it so much that he drew it into his most important commissioned work.
Reynolds Dog in Miss Jane Bowles
In contrast, the dog in Joshua Reynolds' Miss Jane Bowles is really its owner and is very popular with its owner. This charming painting perfectly illustrates the close and intimate relationship between animals and children.
Lancier "Sorcery and Reckless"
Sentimentality refers to increasing its attractiveness to the public by exaggerating and abuse of emotions. This method was not uncommon in the 18th century, but in the 19th century, with the increase of audiences, sentimentality was flooded and naturally appeared in the expression of animals. What comes with it is an annoying habit, which is to impose human traits on animals. Sometimes when you try it with horses, of course, the main victim is the dog, and the most successful practitioner in this field is Lancier. In the mid-19th century, Dignity and Impudence were counted as the most popular animal painting. It is vulgar. But Lancier is an excellent artist, and in my opinion, even one of his most sentimental works, The Old Shepherd’s Chief Mourner, is a moving work to some extent.
Lancier "The Priesthood of the Old Shepherd"
Some people say that Britain is the country that loves dogs the most in the world, but this is an illusion. In Turgenev 's " Hunter Notes ", many paragraphs describe the love for dogs and horses, at least as long as they have been found in British literature. However, some countries despise dogs for no reason. In the country of Semitic , dogs are considered unclean—"Is your servant a dog? Even to do something like this?" And the puppy accompanied by Tobias during the journey is evidence that this folklore originated from Persian . In India and most Islamic countries, dogs are in a miserable situation. Even in Catholic countries, they are treated cruelly by ordinary people because they are told that dogs are soulless. Just like Naples people whipped his donkey while saying "Why are there no Christians", I also know some very wise British people opposed Anglo-Saxon obsession with dogs. They were shocked by the extremely smart and unemotional woman, Edith Wharton. When asked to make a list for the seven "main hobbies" in her life, after "justice and order", the second place was the "dog" and the "book" ranked third. However, in a diary, she beautified a little about her feelings: "I am actually afraid of animals, almost all animals, except dogs, and even some dogs are afraid of them. I think this is because of the 'we' in their eyes and the 'non-we' hidden behind them. This is so tragic that it reminds us that humans have differentiated and discarded them, leaving them in a state of eternal speechlessness and slavery. Why? Their eyes seem to be asking us."
"Animals and Humans: From prehistoric to the present, the two are in the West. The Relationship in Fang Art" Book Film
(The author of this article, Kenneth Clark, is an outstanding art historian in the 20th century. He has successively served as director of the National Gallery of Art in the UK and Professor Slade of Oxford University; the translator Zhang Gan is a professor and doctoral supervisor of the Department of History and Theory of the School of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University. The original title is "Petered Animals", and the full text is excerpted from the "New Athens" series of "Animals and Humans: The Relationship between the Two from Prehistoric to the Present" in Western Art. Pengpai News was edited when it was reprinted.)
Editor in charge: Li Mei
Proofreading: Liu Wei
