The Animals Are We
You Should Own Art, Tenth Edition
Among those that pay attention to art, there is a truism that “all portraits are self-portraits”. This most likely paraphrases Oscar Wilde;
“…every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself.”
The essential point here is that artists cannot help but transmit some element of themselves through their work. Every choice that they make is invariably a deeply personal one.
From this perspective, it’s compelling to look at the images and objects we make of animals. Animals have been primary subjects of art from the very, very beginning. Humans were rarely featured in the earliest depictions of the natural world; and when they were, they were abstracted. In contrast, animals were realistically, and accurately, depicted. It’s not that we hadn’t developed the skill to render life-like human forms, it’s that we didn't think it was important. There’s plenty of debate about why this was so, but what’s clear is that to the first artists, animals signified more about our understanding of the world than ourselves. [Note: to start a deep dive into this subject you could do worse than to start here.]
I’ll argue that this is remains true. Contemporary artists still take animals as their subject matter to engage with the world, be it the natural world or human society. Although we often look at animals as “other”, when we paint, draw or sculpt them we are invariably giving form to our thoughts about ourselves.
“Striped Hyena”
Alexis Trice
Watercolor
USD$300
Alexis creates dense and unsparing images of the natural world. And, like nature, they are in equal parts both beautiful and brutal. In her work, animals are depicted in distress and as noble beings that are part of a continuum of existence. Here’s my favorite.
She has watercolor vignettes and fully realized oil painting on her Etsy page. I really encourage you to explore her full body of work.
You can buy this work here.
Alexis’s Instagram
Alexis’s website
"Expiring #4"
Juan Travieso
Archival Pigment Print, edition of 50. Signed and numbered
USD$64.95
A portrait of a fox (wolf?) disrupted by geometric computer-generated imagery seems like a fair allegory for life in the anthropocene. And, it’s just a lovely image too.
You’re missing out if you don’t check out Juan’s other works. They are intense and some of them are of immense scale.
You can buy this work here.
Juan’s Instagram
Jaun’s website
“Red Wizard”
Walter Salas-Humara
Acrylic paint on canvas
USD$550
I love art that takes really graphic forms and finds a way to make them expressive. I feel the potential energy of the horse in this moment of stillness.
You can buy this work from Yard Dog gallery here in Austin, Texas. Incidentally, Yard Dog has some really interesting works from a set of artists who’ve not trod the conventional path towards making art. Worth a bit of a browse.
Walter’s Instagram
Walter’s website
“Between Worlds”
Ella Uzan
GBP£800
Giclée pigment print
And continuing with horses, I love the slightly surreal quality of this photograph. Yes, there’s a bit of Wes Anderson just-so-ness to it, but it also feels like their ancestors have been riding horse in that field for generations.
You can buy this work from AucArt here. AucArt is really interesting. They focus on emerging artists, many of them just graduated from school. There is some just bonkers good stuff there, and most in the Y.S.O.A cost range.
Ella’s Instagram
Ella’s website
“ZÈBRE”
Malika Favre
Screenprint, edition of 100. Signed and numbered
EUR€230
Ok, not a horse, but horse-ish. I’ve included work by Malika in Y.S.O.A. in the past, and I will continue to do so until you people become fans too. I just think her work is super witty and clever. It also has the weight to hold up over time.
You can buy this work from Malika’s website here.
Malika’s Instagram
Malika’s website
“Ruined Pools”
Harriet Gillet
Watercolor on paper
GBP£250
One of the magic tricks artists perform is letting the materials follow their own nature, then coaxing meaning and form from the result. Maybe we can’t articulate the meaning, but it’s enough to know it is there.
You can buy this work here.
Harriet’s Instagram
Harriet’s website
“Seeker”
Edwin Bethea
Etching. Edition of 20
USD$300
Apparently by “Art about animals” I really meant “horses”. But y’all, look at this. I just really love the placement of the figure and the quality of the line. This just might find its way to the walls of Y.S.O.A. global headquarters.
You can buy this work from the website of the International Print Center New York here. BTW, some KILLER works to be found there.
Edwin’s website
“Brittle & Bright”
Teagan White
Archival giclée art print on cotton rag fine art paper. Signed
USD$20
Good heavens! The skill on display in this little work is tremendous. And the grace of the composition makes me think of the balance of Japanese family crests.
You can buy a print of this work here.
Teagan’s Instagram
Teagan’s website
“Study 2020 #12”
Benjamin Björklund
Watercolor on paper
USD$750
I really enjoy Benjamin’s work. I associate him with very delicate and sensitive portraits of people. So, I was really happy to come across this beautiful watercolor. I love the economy of the brushwork and the character that comes across.
You can buy this work here.
Benjamin’s Instagram
Benjamin’s website
“Koza”
Adam Burke
Acrylic on panel
USD$300
I love this. It does feel a bit like Goya on one of his darker days, but this is what appeals to me. The technique and composition are classic, but the menace is contemporary.
You can buy this work here.
Adam’s Instagram
Adam’s website
That is that for this edition. Thanks as always for making it this far. Please take some time and dive deeper into the works of the artists, follow the twists and turns as they present themselves, and maybe buy a little something.