Unicorn

Container in the Form of a Unicorn (1736-1795)
China, Qing dynasty (1644-1912), Qianlong mark and reign (1735-1795)
cloisonné enamel and gilt copper
Measurements: Overall: 16.1cm x 25.2cm
Cleveland Museum of Art 1963.678
Image, CMA collections online.

This wonderful object represents a ki-lin, (ki-male unicorn, lin-female unicorn). The ki-lin is a mythical being of Chinese mythology. Various tales and stories present this version of the unicorn as a solitary animal only appearing to humans on special missions, from peaceful reigns of rulers to foretelling the birth of great men. It is told that a ki-lin materialized in front of Confucious's pregnant mother.

In western mythology we are more familiar with unicorns taking the form of an elegant horse. It is portrayed in Chinese mythology with the body and legs of a deer, the tail of an ox, hooves of a horse and head of a wolf. This container takes more of the form of an ox, with its stout body. The decoration of the container is done with the ancient metalworking technique, cloisonne.

Dignity and Impudence

Dignity and Impudence, 1839
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (1802-1873)
Oil on canvas
Tate Collection
Image: tate.org.uk

Not usually much of a fan of animals in art but I discovering otherwise lately. I discovered Sir Edward Henry Landseer today, a 19th century British painter whose paintings usually depicted animals with human attributes. A significant talent from a very young age, exhibiting at the Royal Academy at only age 13 and became one of the most famous English painters of his generation.

The hound is Grafton and the terrier is Scratch, dogs of his friend and patron, Jacob Bell.

More animal paintings by Landseer.

Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve, 1504
Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528)
Engraving; 9 7/8 x 7 7/8 in. (25.1 x 20 cm)
Fletcher Fund, 1919 (19.73.1)

This print shows Durer's attention to ideal human proportions in his figures. They are most likely based on Roman copies of Greek sculptures he may have seen in Italy. The sculptural attributes of the figures pop out of the image. While Durer's earlier works were woodcuts which he most likely did not cut himself, Adam and Eve and later works are engravings which he mastered through experimenting with cutting the plates.

Durer's representation of Adam and Eve is rich with symbolism, as he filled the landscape with references to medieval theory of the four human temperaments. The melancholy elk, choleric cat, phlegmatic ox and the sensual rabbit were not let loose until Adam and Eve disobeyed God and became vulnerable. In addition, the mouse is a symbol of Satan and the parrot may symbolize false wisdom (Stokstad (2002) 718). Note the very prominent signature on the placard, Durer was very proud of this engraving, and no surprise, as the master engraver rocked the early 16th century with his images and still holds his own today. If you've never seen a Durer in person, try to remedy the situation. I'd also recommend checking out more German work of the late 15th - early 16th century.

Blue

The Large Blue Horses, 1911
Franz Marc
oil on canvas
41-5/8 x 71-5/16 in.
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) expressionist group. The group formed around Kandinsky and Marc, who both considered blue the color of spirituality.(Stokstad, 1069). The artists of the group were joined by their common goals with manifested themselves in loosely connected visuality. Yet a significant similarity in their work focused on the intensity of color. Marc painted animals rather than people because he believed they had a stronger spiritual relationship with nature. His animals, like the horses in this painting flow and merge with their natural surroundings.

Monkey

Sitting Monkey, 2nd-1st centuries
State of Chu, Southern China
Lacquered carved wood
Mingqi (ming-chee, object for burial chamber)
Toledo Museum of Art 2005.49

Animals are fantastically prevalent in art throughout the centuries, from small companions and magical creatures to monkeys! Monkeys are so common in the TMA collection that there has been mention of having show just to showcase them. I discovered this wonderful little gem on my first jaunt into the Asian Galleries (and yes I should be reprimanded for not visiting them sooner, but hey my MA is in Modern and Contemporary Art! ;).

I think it is fairly cool that many of the objects I am attracted to, I later realize are highlights of the collection, which is also good because I need to build up that knowledge to be the best art librarian I can be of course.

This little monkey is particularly rare due to its age and being made out of wood, a material we would think would have long since ceased to exist after 2000 years in the form of this burial object. These figures were coated in a thin lacquer that proved resistant to insects and water. Funerary wares were so important during the Tang Dynasty that there was an government agency responsible for overseeing their manufacture. (nga.gov.au)

Yay for art, creativity and learning. A google search for mingqi brought up as a first hit an art project for students to create their own mingqi out of clay. The education programing that museums provide is fantastic, if you have a great kid in your life I highly recommend checking out what your local art center or museum offers for kids, from hour long drop in projects just for kids to recurring courses and activities for kids and adults to do together.

Horses

Filigree, 1997
Deborah Butterfield

"To say Deborah Butterfield sculpts horses is too simplistic. Using wood, metal and bronze, she constructs, engineers, molds, hammers, pounds, rips and solders her pieces in what can be an epic struggle between artist and unrelenting materials." (artworks mag, 5/13/08)

I love Butterfield's horses. Until recently I was unaware that it is her sole subject. While at first thought this might seem repetitive, once you encounter more than one of her horses, the thought leaves your mind. Her horses are beautifully constructed sculptures. Starting with an armature to which individual pieces of would are attached by wire to create the sculpture, each piece of wood, meticulously marked for its location and is then recreated in bronze. The piece is the reassembled and welded together.

We have one of her horses her at TMA (outdoors in our sculpture garden) and I recently saw one at the Speed Museum of Art in Louisville (the first I've seen that wasn't displayed on the floor, it was hung on a wall in the gallery). While I'm happy to encounter her sculptures anywhere, seeing them outside is the most fitting, they become more imbued with their natural surroundings. Her titles are the names of actual horses. She and her husband live on a 350 acre working horse farm, check out the Art Works Magazine article for more.