Pet Memorials and Art
The depiction of animals has always played an important part of art – from the first known cave art in Northern Spain to the art of medieval times until today on everything from pet memorial paintings to jewelry. This type of art dates back 17,000 years, portrayed in a variety of mediums worldwide.
Often times, animals in art held symbolic associations. For instance, the lamb served as an important sacrificial animal in ancient Near Eastern religious rites. The griffin was regarded in antiquity as an attendant of Apollo and a keeper of light. Last, animals have always been used in calendars as zodiacal symbols.. Discovered in 1879, the Altamira paintings were found in a cave by a little girl and her Father who was a Spanish
nobleman and amateur archaeologist one day while they were looking for pre-historic tools in a cave. It was on the ceiling of the cave where they saw the bull drawings.
However, even more famous are the cave paintings which were found at Lascaux in the south of France around 1940. Pestles and mortars were found in these caves, indicating the paint colors were made from primitive crayons of red, black, white, brown and yellow, mixed with cave water and vegetable or animal oils to bind them. The paint appeared to be either sprayed on with blow pipes, or applied with brush-like tools.
It was around 1502 when animal art became more scientific in study as artists studied the anatomy of animals, setting new standards for artists. Then by the 1900′s, German Expressionist Franz Marc often used animals in his spiritual paintings. Throughout history, many animals are also portrayed with symbolic symbols in death, on grave markers and urns, and on pet memorials at burial sites.
Today, tribute artists like Denice Lewis honor our beloved pets, via beautiful abstract memorial paintings infused with a pet’s ashes.
