'The Dog 5,000 Years of the Dog in Art' by Tamsin Pickeral
'The Dog 5,000 Years of the Dog in Art' by Tamsin Pickeral
Category: Publications
Artist: Tamsin Pickeral
Year of Work: 2008
Merrell Publishing (New York & London) has just published a major art-historical tome entitled ‘THE DOG 5,000 Years of The Dog in Art’ by Tamsin Pickeral with exquisite reproductions and an excellent and insightful text.
The author Tamsin Pickeral chose Chris Gollon’s ‘Anubis & Charon’ (1997), devoting a page to the Gollon painting in the chapter entitled The Mythical Dog to feature alongside works by Breughel, Rembrandt, Titian, Velasquez, Oudry, Gainsborough, Reynolds and Rubens.
She writes very intelligently and insightfully about Chris Gollon’s work and this particular painting. This beautifully-produced hardback book has some wonderful images and fascinating text about Man's ever-changing view of the dog, from one of Man's earliest beliefs in the dog as deity or psychopomp (conductor of souls), dwelling both in the physical and supernatural worlds, to a whole spectrum of belief across many cultures depicting the dog as deity or devil, noble or bestial, adored or abhorred.
As the author says: "In many ways, the emergence of the dog in art, from its first marginal depictions to its increasingly central role, particularly in paintings, mirrors the dog's creeping steps over the threshold of human society. Conversely, the prevalence of the dog's appearance in art through the ages has left a vivid account of its place, and role, in human history." It is available in all good bookshops and via Amazon.
