Gallery Visit #2

 Question: How do we apply human morals and values to animals?

Rabbit - Tom Classen

1. Even though I usually go for a more realistic style I like how this work captures the essence and "personality" of a rabbit without much detail. I might try to exaggerate some animal features slightly to add to the personality of the piece (without making it too cartoony,) such as bigger claws to make an animal look more fierce, or bigger eyes to make an animal look more lovable.

Tiger - Franz Marc

2. I felt really drawn to the tiger's dynamic position. I feel like some of my works lately have been a bit stiff, so I will try to make the animals appear more organic and dynamic, and also include more scenes where the animals are in motion.

Chinstrap Penguins - Johnathan Knight

3. I love the negative space in this sculpture. It captures the awkward waddle of penguins (as in if they were walking less waddle-y they would be evenly spaced.) I feel like I tend to be a bit too clean and strict with certain elements of composition, and I want to make my animals look more natural, like they are actually in the wild (even if they are in strange locations, like a bathtub.)

Attitudes of Animals in Motion - Eadweard Muybridge

4. This print gave me a more specific idea: making a piece with multiple of the same animal (like multiple "frames" of the same animal, not just the same species.) I think this is an interesting way to show movement, which is one of my goals for the rest of my works

Netsuke of Group of Animals - 19th century

Japan

5. I found this work very intriguing because of the way the animals fit together. It makes me think about the physical shape of animals influencing how we see them. For example, some people are scared of horses because they are big, of snakes (even if they are not venomous) because they are so long, and of spiders, because they have lots of spindly legs. The same goes for round animals being seen as cute. I like how this piece incorporates different shapes and textures but they still all fit together.