A Treatise on the Horse | India (detail)
Domestic, Wild, Divine: Artists Look at Animals
Nov 21, 2012 – Aug 04, 2013Mellon Galleries
This exhibition examines the way that artists have responded to the significant but often enigmatic roles that animals have played in human life. Drawn from VMFA’s entire collection, the exhibition features many perspectives on the subject of the animal—from wild beasts to treasured pets to otherworldly creatures.
The animal as subject has captivated artists for thousands of years. The cave paintings at Lascaux, France, among the oldest known works of art, feature hundreds of depictions of bulls, deer, and horses. Throughout their constant presence in human history, animals’ roles have varied widely, from providers of basic labor and locomotion to important characters in human myths, cultural rituals, and religious traditions. This exhibition, drawn from VMFA’s entire collection, features many perspectives on the animal—whether wild beast, treasured pet, or otherworldly creature. Works in a variety of media—painting, sculpture, decorative arts—tell the story of the complex relationships that have been forged between humans and their fellow animals. Artists from prehistory to the present illuminate something of these emotional, spiritual, and physical connections that have flourished.
A Manuscript of the Shalihotra: A Treatise on the Horse
India
ca. 1700-1750
Copyright VMFA
Artist Talk: James Prosek, Thu, Jan 31
3 in 30: Wild, Domestic, Divine, Tues, Feb 5 & Thu, Feb 7
Collection Connections: Bears, Tue, Apr 16
Wild@Art App Demo, Thu, Apr 25, 11 am & 6:30 pm