Dogs in the paintings of contemporary artists. Dog paintings(154). The role of the dog in the history of human development and in the history of painting in different eras

Since prehistoric times, the dog has been the animal closest to man - his assistant, his faithful companion. She went through all the stages of his development with him and is still the closest four-legged friend for many of us. That's why image of a dog has inspired artists in their work for thousands of years. And hardly anyone will object to the Czech writer-philosopher Jiri Marek, who argued that "a dog's life" component history of mankind" So what “You cannot write the history of mankind without the history of the dog.”

The role of the dog in the history of human development and in the history of painting in different eras

Images of dogs were found in rock paintings primitive people, and this was about 4500 BC. And what is noteworthy is that the first dogs were depicted very schematically and only vaguely resembled the images of modern dogs. Only in painting Ancient Egypt those depicted begin to appear familiar features. At that time, the image of a dog in painting was sacred meaning– the god of the underworld, Anubis, was depicted with a dog’s head.

In the Roman Empire, the role of the dog was to guard the home. Having become a pet, the dog guarded property and helped in the hunt, was always ready to fulfill any order of its owner, faithful and completely devoted to him. Most dogs were portrayed as powerful, menacing dogs, who did not allow strangers anywhere near the house.

Later, right up to the Middle Ages, dogs disappeared from the paintings of artists. This attitude towards them was due to the prevailing opinion in society about dogs as evil, aggressive and eternally hungry creatures, devouring various carrion.

And what can we say about Muslims, who considered a dog an unclean animal, personifying the forces of evil and death. In Asian countries, dogs were and still are treated in a unique way: they are sometimes revered, sometimes despised, sometimes considered a deity, sometimes... a culinary dish.

But be that as it may, in the Middle Ages the attitude towards dogs changed radically. The four-legged friend reappeared in paintings and engravings, although most often in a pack. Painters depicted hunting scenes of kings accompanied by several dogs, although in reality the number of royal packs sometimes reached up to 1000 individuals.

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/00-dog-026.jpg" alt=""After the hunt."

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/00-dog-003.jpg" alt=""Children of King Charles I."

The popularity of dogs peaked during the Renaissance. All kinds of them were depicted in paintings of the 16th century: from tiny living toys and graceful Italian greyhounds to dogs of impressive size. The dog and the man became very close. And the scene was typical of that time: nestled at the feet of the guests gathered at the table, the dog eats scraps from the festive table.

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/219418362.jpg" alt=""Friends".

By the end of the 17th century, the number of breeds increased significantly, especially of small sizes, as interest in hunting dogs waned a little. Spaniels, beloved strong of the world this. Over time, the love for dogs reached such strength that separate paintings were already dedicated to them. And some artists even began to specialize in depicting animals, becoming animal painters.

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/00-dog-013.jpg" alt=""Hunting dogs."" title=""Hunting dogs."" border="0" vspace="5">!}

In the 19th and 20th centuries, royal packs of large hunting dogs on artistic canvases gave way mainly to companion animals, as well as herding and guard dogs. The manner of depicting four-legged pets tends towards sentimentality.

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/00-dog-025.jpg" alt=""Comforter."

Two embers burn with happiness, and the tail flashes like an arrow.
And you forget about bad weather, about all your worries and affairs.
You stretch out your hand and press a cold, wet nose to your hand,
And the heart will beat joyfully, and the blood will pulsate in the temple!

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/00-dog-016.jpg" alt=""By secret".

If they love - without selfishness, if they serve - from the heart.
Great Danes and mastiffs, Rottweilers and babies -
Everyone, regardless of height, age and breed -
Probably, let's say very simply that this is the entire canine race.
And maybe the poet is right after all? I can't believe these are lies -
The better you get to know people, the more you like dogs...

https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/00-dog-009.jpg" alt=""Little Spies"

The English animalist Charles Barton Barber is loved by many authors of diaries and blogs; often his cute dogs in the company of children appear on the pages of diaries of those who love animals. Today I would like to draw your attention to one of the artist’s paintings associated with an old English legend. At the same time I’ll tell you about the artist himself and put"дайджест" его понравившихся картин. Итак, начнем с заинтересовавшей меня картины и самой легенды...!}

Charles Burton Barber (British, 1845-1894) Gelert. 1884 Reading Museum, United Kingdom

According to this legend, an Irish wolfhound named Gelert was the favorite dog of the ruler of the kingdom of Gwynedd and Prince of Wales, Llywelyn the Great (Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, 1173-1240). The dog was given to the prince in 1210 by the English king John (John) Lackland (1167-1216). The Prince of Wales was awarded this special award for covering the king in one of the battles own body, repelling the blow of an enemy spear.
The puppy grew quickly, becoming best friend Llywelyn's son Richard, whose mother died during his birth. They were inseparable, the huge wolfhound became for the boy his playmate and caring nanny. In describing that fateful day, historians differ on the age of young Prince Richard, some describe him as a baby, others write that the boy was already about five years old. And this is what happened.

One day autumn morning Livelin went hunting. Returning home, he hurried to his son’s room and saw the child’s cradle overturned, but Richard was nowhere to be found. The prince and servants searched the entire castle, but the boy was not found. And then Llywelyn saw Gelert running into the hall, cheerfully wagging his tail. The dog's muzzle was smeared with blood. The disappearance of his son, Gelert’s bloody muzzle, the loud cries of his brother’s widow, Lady Gwendolen, shouting: “It’s him! It was that damned dog that killed Richard!” - all this led to the decision that the dog had killed him little son left unattended. In a fit of anger and despair, the prince grabbed his sword from its sheath and with a sharp blade cut Gelert’s head, right between the eyes that looked so devotedly at his master. The dog died on the spot.
- Your Highness! - shouted the butler who ran in. “There... There...” he added breathlessly, pointing to the main entrance door. The prince, throwing away the bloody sword, went out onto the porch, preparing to see the worst. Behind the ledge of the wall, he found his son, safe and sound, and next to him, the body of a huge wolf with its throat gnawed out, spread out on the grass. The boy ran up to his father and said, pointing to the wolf: It was Gelert who killed the wolf! Llywelyn fell to his knees and cried, not ashamed of his tears.
According to another version, Llywelyn in his son’s bedroom, seeing that the mouth of Gellert, who was right there next to the empty cradle, was stained with blood, hastily decided that the dog had attacked the child and ate him, in a fit of anger he pulled out a sword and killed the dog. But a moment later the prince heard the baby crying. Walking around the crib, Llewellyn found his son safe and sound next to a dead wolf, which had entered the house and tried to attack the child.

The next day, faithful Gelert was buried like a knight, with full military honors. And never after that day did Llywelyn the Great smile again, and in his ears stood the last dying shriek of the faithful Gelert. Some time later, a monument to the dog that saved the child was erected at Gelert’s grave in North Wales. Irish wolfhounds were elevated to the rank of national treasure, and the locality in Snowdon where the events of this drama took place was named Beth Gellert.

In my search for a detailed legend about Gelert, I discovered Sabine Baring-Gould's book “Myths and Legends of the Middle Ages,” where an entire chapter is devoted to the dog and the myths about this story.
It turns out that this legend was known in many countries medieval Europe, over time it turned into a popular fairy tale, changing slightly in each country, acquiring local flavor.
That is, in many European countries there are almost the same stories as about the wolfhound Gelert, and with the same degree of reliability, and the story itself was brought to Europe, it turns out, from India.

Author Baring-Gould tried to trace the stages of transformation of this legend about the faithful animal and collect information about different versions. The primary source is the Indian Panchatantra, written in Sanskrit around 540. Only in this ancient Indian book, a baby is saved by a pet mongoose, who killed a snake and was also killed by the wife of a Brahmin named Devasaman, who saw the animal stained with blood and decided that he had attacked the child. The same story is told in the book “Gitopadesha”, only the otter is the brave animal there. In Mongolia, the treatise Uligerun (The Sage and the Fool) tells the story of a brave ferret who suffered while protecting a child. And in the Arabic version, the place of the mongoose is taken by the ermine.
Sinologist Stanislav Julien discovered the same story in the Chinese work “The Forest of Pearls from the Garden of Law,” which dates back to 668, where the main character was also a mongoose. In the Persian "Sinbad-nama" there is also a similar story, but the faithful animal there is a cat. In 1080, the Greek Simeon Seth translated this story from Persian, calling it “Kalila and Dimna.” And around 1250, Rabbi Joel translated Kalila and Dimna into Hebrew. In the Hebrew and Greek versions of this story, the main character is the dog. Finally, in the 14th century, the monks Legrand d’Ossy and Edelestan Dumeril collected a collection of French fabliaux (fairy tales) “Roman Deeds” (Gesta Romanorum). There was also a story that was one hundred percent similar to the story of Gelert, only there was a certain knight there who was crazy about hunting and tournaments, and his wife was alive, but the drama itself with his son and the dog is repeated. Tale of faithful dog also found in the collections “The Romance of the Seven Wise Men” and “Stepmother’s Slanders.” From all this it follows that everything new in history is well forgotten old. And yet, the monument to the dog from this particular story was erected only in England...

Monument to Gelert. Whether this is a preserved monument from the 13th century or a more modern reconstruction, I don’t know. And now that you know almost everything about the painting and the legend of Gelert, it’s time to talk about the author of the painting.

Charles Barton Barber
Charles Burton Barber

1845, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk - 1894, London

Charles Burton Barber 1880

English animal painter who had big success and popularity, thanks to images of pets next to children.
Charles Barton was the eldest son of decorator Charles Barber and his wife Elizabeth, and had two brothers, Frank and Arthur. Since 1861, the family lived in Berkshire. Having a clear ability to draw from childhood, Charles Barton Barber at the age of 18 entered the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where he studied for three years. In 1864, he received a silver medal for one of his academic drawings; in 1866, Barber made his debut at an exhibition at the Royal Academy. He was exhibited at this prestigious exhibition almost until his death - until 1893. Barber has also exhibited at the Royal Institute of Artists, the Fine Arts Society, the Walker Art Gallery and the Manchester Art Gallery.
On April 8, 1875, the young artist married Margaret Williams, daughter of the architect Williams. She bore Barbera two daughters.

In 1883 the artist was elected a member of the Royal Institute of Artists. During his creative life he constantly carried out orders from wealthy English families. In the mid-1870s, Queen Victoria drew attention to Barber's work. The Queen and her daughter Beatrice had a particular passion for dogs, and the Queen herself owned several collies, dachshunds and Pomeranians. The artist began to receive orders from the queen, and she granted him the right to depict first her beloved dogs, and then her children. royal family– grandchildren and the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) along with their pets. A number of Barber's portraits and genre paintings are in the Royal Collection. It should be noted that Barber, unlike other artists, when receiving orders from the queen, never tried to use communication with the crowned lady to ask for additional “favors” or solutions to his problems. Apart from the income from the orders themselves, he did not earn a cent from the Queen's patronage. In 1894, the artist received an order for a group portrait of Queen Victoria with her grandchildren. The portrait showed the Queen seated in a pony-drawn cart with Prince Henry of Battenberg's children and surrounded by dogs. This picture became last job Barbera.
That same year he died suddenly in London at the age of 49. Some of Barber's friends admitted after his death that they assumed that this would be either the artist's last painting or his last work painted for the queen. It is unknown what these assumptions were based on...

Barber, as his friends and contemporaries remembered him, was a very quiet and calm man who greatly valued his privacy. His friend and biographer, illustrator Harry Furniss (March 26, 1854 – January 14, 1925) wrote generally amazing things about Barber. It turns out that the artist “absolutely did not enjoy his work and the creative process.” Barber's brother told Furniss that the sight of the empty canvas on which the painting was to appear literally made Charles sick. However, like the sight of the frame, which meant that the work was completed and would go to the customer, “invariably upset the artist.” Another confession of the biographer: “Barber did not have creative imagination"He wasn't a prolific artist, but he wasn't a hack either." He just really loved drawing animals and children..

Big influence Barber was influenced by the work of the English artist and sculptor Edwin Henry Landseer (Edwin Henry Landseer, March 7, 1802 - October 1, 1873), also a famous animal painter who became famous for his paintings of animal life and landscapes of Scotland, and as a sculptor for the lion statues at the foot of the column Nelson in Trafalgar Square. In 1831, Landseer became a member of the Royal Academy of Arts and court painter to Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Consort Albert. He, like Barber later, painted portraits of dogs of wealthy Englishmen and royalty.
Barber admired Landseer's work and drew inspiration from his paintings. Thanks to Landseer, who often visited Scotland, Charles Barton fell in love with working in the open air, and in a peculiar way, imitating Edwin Henry, wrote in outdoors, for example, deer. Historians note that, unlike Landseer, Barber's animals also convey emotions similar to human feelings: joyful excitement, sadness, melancholy or desire to protect. In addition, the artist endowed the pets with similarities with their owners.

However, some critics considered Barber’s works to be overly sentimental and mawkish, and accused him of having no social notes in his paintings, since the artist depicted cute, neatly dressed children from wealthy families in rich interiors. Let me remind you that the peak of the artist’s popularity came during the English Industrial Revolution, and some painters depicted poor and sick children doing hard work and unsure of their future. To such criticism, the artist replied that he simply devoted his work to depicting animals and children, since they reflect the beauty of the most wonderful thing in the world.

By the way, historians have noticed that many of the artist’s paintings depict the same children and even pets. But the answer has not yet been found - whether the artist used his own daughters and pets as models.
Even despite criticism, Barber was extremely popular in Britain in the second half of the 19th century because, as art historians write, he “gained recognition among the picky Britons, thanks to their traditional sympathies for quality painting, children and animals.”

I note that after the death of Edwin Henry Landseer in 1873, it was Barber who was chosen as court painter to Queen Victoria. In addition, Barber produced several children's illustrations, for example, for The Adventures of Pinscher, and was known as a photographer.
Since the animalistic genre was popular in Victorian England, then after Barber’s death, his “successors” in the genre were the animal painters Maud Earl (1864-1943) and Arthur John Elsley (Arthur John Elsley, 1861-1952).
And finally, let me tell you that the surname Barber was popular among painters of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries, so Charles Barton is sometimes confused with his namesake, the landscape painter from Liverpool Charles Barber (1784-1854). Among the famous Barbers one can also name the miniaturist Christopher Barber (1736-1810), portrait painter Reginald Barber (Reginald Barber, 1851-1928), landscape painters Alfred Richardson Barber (1841-1925), Joseph Vincent Barber (1841-1925). Barber, 1788-1838), Joseph II Barber (1757-1811) and Thomas Barber (1768-1843).

Well, we've reached a small gallery of the most famous works
Charles Barton Barber.

Charles Burton Barber (British, 1845-1894) Friend or Foe? (Friend or foe?)

Charles Burton Barber (British, 1845-1894) Time to Wake Up. 1883

Charles Burton Barber (British, 1845-1894) Off to School. 1883

Charles Burton Barber (British, 1845-1894) Marco on the Queen's Breakfast Table (Marco on the Queen's breakfast table). 1893

Children about painting

Terentyeva Natalya Sergeevna, teacher of art and technology, Municipal Educational Institution "Sheragulskaya Secondary School", Tulunsky district, Novotroitsk.
Description of work: the material may be useful to art teachers, educators kindergarten, head of art studios. This topic can be research work schoolchildren.

Animals in painting and graphics arouse the same interest among viewers as portraits famous people. And this is no coincidence. World art began with animal painting, when in the Paleolithic era, more than 30 thousand years ago, people began to depict animals on rocks. The tradition of preserving images of domestic animals, as well as animals and birds considered sacred, is also rooted in the deep past.

Bas-reliefs of dogs from Ancient Egypt and ceramics with drawings of dogs have reached us. Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.

The highest level reached the image of animals in Ancient China. There are known images of dogs similar to chow chows dating back more than two thousand years. The love for dogs among painters of all countries and eras was born for a reason. A dog is perhaps the animal closest to humans. A dog in artists’ paintings is a friend, a savior, a helper.
There are many sayings of great people dedicated to this selfless being.
Here are some of them.
The dog is holy. She is spontaneous and honest by nature. She feels when there is no time for her, and can lie motionless for hours while her idol is busy. When the owner is sad, she puts her head on his lap. “Has everyone abandoned you? Just think! Let’s go for a walk and everything will be forgotten!” Excel Mant.
Happiness is difficult for people. They withdraw into themselves and get into trouble. They themselves don’t know what they need, and they are sad, sad... Dogs don’t have such difficulties. They know that happiness comes from doing something for others. Dogs do everything in their power to please their two-legged friend, and are happy if they succeed. John Richard Stevens.
Dogs, God bless them, believe that man is a weak, defenseless creature that needs constant love and care. You accidentally lick your hand, rub your furry muzzle against your leg, and the poor owner knows: his friend will not leave him in trouble. Mary McGrory.
If you love me, love my dog. The connection between a person and a dog can disappear only with life... E. Seton-Thompson.
Reverence is a feeling experienced by a man towards God and by a dog towards man. Ambrose Bierce.
The dog is so loyal that you don’t even believe that a person deserves such love. Ilya Ilf.
The best thing a person has is a dog. Toussaint Charlet.
Dogs have only one drawback - they trust people. Eliane J. Finbert.
A good person is ashamed even in front of a dog. Anton Chekhov.
The dog is the only animal whose loyalty is unshakable. J. Buffon.
A person has the opportunity to choose a relative only once in his life - when he gets a dog. Mark Segal.
A dog is the only creature in the world that loves you more than itself. Josh Billings.
A dog contains all the best that a person can have! Etienne Charlet.
Anyone who says you can't buy happiness has never bought a puppy. U.P. Lampton
The best thing a person has is a dog. Toussaint Nicolas Charlet.
God, make me what I seem to my dog... Ya. Vishnevsy.

Let's return to the artists. I present a selection of paintings depicting dogs.
Enjoy watching!
A. Bryullov. "Portrait of N.S. Golitsina."

Pablo Picasso. "Boy with a dog."

Edwin Landseer. "Saved."

Charles Barton Barber. "On the way from school."

Harold Piffard. "Do you want a piece? Say 'woof'!"

F. Goya. "Blizzard".

John Emms. "Foxhounds and terriers in the stables."

Murillo. "Boy with a Dog".

Anton Van Dyck. "Children of King Charles I".

Philip Reinegle. "Portrait of an unusual musical dog."

Our four-legged friends often serve as muses for artists. Throughout the history of art, they have appeared in portraits with members of the aristocracy, with famous creatives, and have been immortalized as Balloons- and this is just a small part of the art in which dogs play a significant role. They are living symbols of protection, fidelity and unconditional love, so it's easy to see why their cute faces shine next to people in a long and colorful visual story.

Dogs in art history

They are even found in ancient art. A dog mosaic was discovered in Pompeii. The words below, Cave Canem, translate to "beware of the dog". It is believed that this was to warn the visitor.

The image of dogs dates back to the first century AD. One fascinating example is a pair found near Civita Lavinia, Italy, in 1774. Artist and art dealer Gavin Hamilton excavated a site called Dog Mountain and discovered, among other things, a marble portrait of two hounds. According to the British Museum, they were created sometime between 1 AD. to 199 AD

The painting, painted by Lavinia Fontana around 1580, shows a young Bolognese noblewoman who has just gotten married. Richly dressed and hung with exquisite jewelry, she seems lonely and sad, but against the dark background and dark red dress, her tiny dog ​​stands out as a bright, joyful spot.

"Hunters in the Snow" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1565.

Following the Renaissance in the 18th century, dog breeds became standardized. This led to the creation of paintings where animals were the stars of the compositions. Still life is a long tradition in art, and Paul Gauguin created his own in 1888, entitled Still Life with Three Puppies.

Soon after Gauguin, one of the most famous collections of paintings in which dogs were painted was Dogs Playing Poker. This iconic work by American artist Cassius Marcellus Coolidge began with "Poker Game" in 1894, followed by a series of 16 paintings commissioned for a cigar advertising campaign in 1903 and completed in 1910.
Each one features a group of dogs playing poker. They became incredibly famous in the United States and continue to appear in modern culture.