For my personal “art gallery,” I wanted to explore how artists from different eras and different continents depicted animals. I used ten works of art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art after “visiting” it virtually.

This tiger is based on animals that Barye saw at the menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. It is an excellent place to begin my gallery because it shows the potential beauty and accuracy behind the depiction of animals. Barye, a French 19th century artist, was known for his amazing ability to accurately portray animals while also showing character. This tiger, like a tiger in nature, is relaxed, but he is still highly aware of his surroundings, ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

Despite being from the same era of time, this painting is vastly different from “Tiger in Repose,” which is primarily because Kawanabe Kyōsai is a Japanese artist. This Tanuki displays traditional Japanese painting techniques, but it also points to the celebration of the tanuki in Japanese lore. With the ambiguous form of this sketch, the painting also points to the fabled ability of the tanuki to transform.

This work shows the techniques of the Spanish about 800 years ago. While the potentially symbolic meaning is unclear, the power of this beast is evident. The artist quite deliberately depicted the lion with taut muscles, a focused gaze, and fur standing on end. This reveals the respect for the lion in the artist’s culture, and this showcase of power is common throughout history’s depictions of animals.

I find this art beautiful in its simplicity. I believe it is depicting a blackbuck (an Indian antelope) on a peaceful run with some sort of mythical creature sketched in the background. The technique is simple, but the art is powerful in its depiction of nature at its simplest and most peaceful. The blackbuck simply runs, and nothing more is needed. In addition, it is interesting to see the style of art and depiction of animals from India.

This work shows technique of 20th century America. Chanler provides a splendid representation of nature, simply depicting a group of porcupines. They are shown as a group, indicating their natural camaraderie. Their sense of family is shown by the baby porcupine on the right side. Their quills are clearly shown to emphasize their self-preservation. With the trees, the porcupines are experiencing nature as normally as possible, but they are nonetheless a sight to behold.

“Musk Cat” shows the pure magnificence of paintings in 16th century Japan. The musk cat is attempting to ignore the titmouse on a willow branch above him. This common interaction shows nature at its purest, its most average. However, musk cats are typically a symbol for longevity, commonly being painted by artists associated with the Kano school.

“Saint Eustace” is a particularly interesting painting because it references the legend of the 2nd century A.D. Christian martyr of the same name. The legend states that Eustace encountered this incredible stag while hunting. The stag bore a crucifix between his antlers and converted Eustace to Christianity. Kiefer based this image on photographs of reindeer, and he replaced the crucifix with a painter’s pallete. While showing a German representation of an animal, this also reveals some deeper symbolism through the palette. Kiefer likely regards it as a symbol for him and his work as a painter, which is why he uses it in the place of a crucifix.

While this is merely a page from a book of omens, it shows an Indian depiction of an animal from about 1800. The animal is likely an Indian leopard. It has some sort of cloth on its back, which is odd considering the hostility of leopards. Perhaps it is meant to represent peace between humans and animals. The simple representation of grass and the neat structure of the animal itself is a very intriguing depiction, standing in contrast to both looser sketches and more elaborate paintings.

This is another Japanese work of art, and it depicts a badger. Appearing to have a dish and a kettle of tea in front of him, the badger is humanized. No color is used, only shades of black and white. This lack of color allows the audience to focus on the form and personality of the badger. This is a very interesting animal depiction because of this emphasis.

Disregarding depth and proportion, this drawing records Traylor’s perspective on African American life in the urban areas of Southern America in the early 20th century. The figures are not entirely clear, but I find potent commentary in their minimalism. The blue construction contrasts harshly with the orange of the natural animal. The art is deceptively simple, saying quite a lot despite superficially showing little.