Animals in Art – Research Essay
Throughout the centuries, animals have appeared in works of art. This is because of their part in our culture and history. Animals have also played a part in our cultural values. Cultural values are the beliefs and norms of a comminity or culture.
The 2 paintings that I chose were, a prehistoric cave art and ‘Leopard attacks Negro’ by Henri Rousseau. The prehistoric cave art shows a hunting group shooting arrows at a herd of deer. The main culrural value in the prehistoric era was suvival. They needed this skill to find food and protect themselves and their families. This artwork was found in the Lascaux Caves, Southern France.
Henri Roussea’s ‘Leopard attacks Negro’ depicts a beautiful green jungle and a round, red sun with a person being attacked by a leopard in the centre. It also shows us how different culture values were in 1910 compared to today. People were treated unfairly because of their race and skin colour.

Each animal has its own unique features and qualities. The prehistoric cave art was painted on the walls of the cave using ground stone or sand, mixed with animal blood. This created a browny-red colour. Animal bones were used as paintbrushes. The painting shows hunters with bows and arrows shooting stags, deers and fawns. Some of the animals have been shot with multiple arrows. The drawings are detailed with many thin and thick strokes which create a smooth and graceful texture.
Henri Rousseau’s ‘Leopard attacks Negro’ was painted on a canvas using oil paints. It is 162.5 x 116 cm. The colours that were used to paint the jungle were vibrant greens and bright colours for the flowers. Rousseau’s technique was to apply layer upon layer of paint to create vivid colours. He blended his brushstrokes to create a smooth surface.

Animals are sometimes used to symbolise ideas and concepts that are important to different cultures. The prehistoric cave art was a symbol of the painter’s lives. This included hunting for food and defending their families and villages from wild animals. Simple cave paintings with stick figures related to the