On the occasion of Menagerie: Animals on View, we're taking a closer look at several of the thematic groupings in the exhibition. This week: Dogs.
As dogs have been domesticated and made an increasingly integral part of people’s lives, they have also become a popular artistic subject. Mongrels and mutts have been referred to not only as man’s best friend but also as the artist’s, selflessly serving as faithful mates and a never-ending source of inspiration. In fact, even the Greek philosopher Plato (ca. 427–347 BCE) praised the dog as a “beast worthy of wonder.” In the ancient world dogs symbolized the afterlife, and in later Western art they became associated with themes of loyalty and honesty. More than any other animal, they have come to personify a remarkably wide spectrum of human values and emotions. In the works featured in Menagerie: Animals on View, the canine transcends its role as a companion. Instead, it embodies elements of angst, sadness, and melancholy as well as contentment, humor, and vitality.
Francis Bacon (British, born Ireland, 1909–1992). Man with Dog, 1953. Oil on canvas, 60 x 46 inches (152 x 117 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1955 (K1955:3). © Estate of Francis Bacon / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / DACS, London.
Giacomo Balla (Italian, 1871–1958). Dinamismo di un cane al guinzaglio (Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash), 1912. Oil on canvas, 35 3/8 x 43 1/4 inches (89.9 x 109.9 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Bequest of A. Conger Goodyear and Gift of George F. Goodyear, 1964 (1964:16). © Estate of Giacomo Balla / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome
Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558–1617). The Boy and Dog, 1597. Engraving, 14 1/8 x 10 1/4 inches (35.9 x 26 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Willis O. Chapin, 1891 (1891:4.100).
Seymour Haden (British, 1818–1910). Dog and Monkey, 1865. Etching, 12 1/4 x 8 3/8 inches (31.1 x 21.3 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Dr. Frederick H. James, 1891 (1891:3.46).
William Hogarth (British, 1697–1764). The Lady's Last Stake, 1759. Oil on canvas, 36 x 41 1/2 inches (91.4 x 105.4 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1945 (1945:2.1).
Sanya Kantarovsky (Russian, born 1982). Mind the Gap, 2016. Oil, watercolor, oil stick, and pastel on canvas; 55 x 40 inches (139.7 x 101.6 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Mrs. Seymour H. Knox, Sr., by exchange and Gift of Baroness Alphonse de Rothschild, by exchange, 2016 (2016:5). © 2016 Sanya Kantarovsky.
Joan Mitchell (American, 1925–1992). George Went Swimming at Barnes Hole, but It Got Too Cold, 1957. Oil on canvas, 85 1/4 x 78 1/4 inches (216.5 x 198.8 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1958 (K1958:11). © Joan Mitchell Foundation.
Elie Nadelman (American, born Poland, 1882–1946). Girl with Poodle, ca. 1931–35. Glazed polychromed ceramic,7 1/4 x 5 3/4 x 4 inches (18.4 x 14.6 x 10.2 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; The Martha Jackson Collection at the Albright Knox Art Gallery, 1974 (1974:8.24). © Estate of Elie Nadelman.
Allison Schulnik (American, born 1978). Idyllwild, 2011. Oil on linen, 110 x 78 inches (279.4 x 198.1 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift: With Funds Provided by The Mark and Hilarie Moore Family Trust in Memory of Timothy A. Fallon, 2015. © 2011 Allison Schulnik.
William Wegman (American, born 1943). Sitting Airedale with Tale, 1981. Polaroid diffusion transfer print, 31 x 27 inches (78.7 x 68.6 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Norman E. Boasberg Fund, 1982 (P1982:1). © William Wegman
