Declaration- Animals

The concept of animals has been seen throughout many art periods. In fact, the first “known” artwork was of animals in the Lascaux caves. Since then animals have been used both symbolically and literally in art. The use of an animal can change the entire feeling of an artwork for the viewer. An empty, barren room is completely transformed with the addition of a favorite household pet. A simple self portrait can become intriguing and mysterious with some well placed monkeys. Throughout the history of art, artists have deliberately used animals to add and enhance their pieces of work. Most often the animals in a work of art represent something entirely different. Hope, love, anger, and many other emotions can be shown through a wild animal or a domesticated friend. Thus, for my concept, I wanted to explore the use of animals both literally and symbolically in art.