The 21st-Century Dog

The dog in art is as old as art. When humans first ventured to record their lives on the walls of caves, the dog was by their side. One of the prehistoric paintings estimated to be 9,000 years old found at the Bhimbetka rock shelters in India depicts a dog held on a leash by a man. Etched into the rock walls of dried-out valleys and slopes in the Arabian Peninsula, 8,000-year-old hunting scenes also feature dogs on leashes. Dogs can be seen on relics of ancient civilizations, from everyday objects to the possessions of deities.

The ancient Greeks and Romans favored dogs as pets, valuing them for their faithfulness and courage; they were also shown on Greek and Roman reliefs and ceramics as symbols of fidelity. Dogs were appreciated by the Greeks for their faithfulness and love. The ancient Romans kept three types of dogs: hunting dogs, especially Sighthounds; Molossus dogs like the Neapolitan Mastiff, and smaller companion dogs like the Maltese.

In the guise of gargoyles, the dog looks down from great medieval cathedrals and is richly illuminated in Persian miniatures. Hunting scenes were common topics in medieval and Renaissance art. Depictions of people with hunting dogs, hawks or falcons would signal status. As the aristocracy often used hunting dogs, dogs were shown as symbols in heraldry. In the late Middle Ages and the renaissance, heraldry became a highly developed discipline. Dogs of various types occur as chargers and supporters in many coats of arms and often symbolize courage, vigilance, loyalty and fidelity. The Greyhound features very often in British heraldry and appears on the arms of several English and Scottish families. Other breeds used less often include Mastiffs, Bloodhounds and Foxhounds.

Dog portraits became increasingly popular in the 18th Century. However, the concept of purity of lineage and the aesthetic qualities of the dog, in relation to its history as a species, is a comparatively recent phenomenon. How dogs performed their duty, or did a job of work, was, in most cases, far more important than how they looked. As a result, trying to attribute a breed to many dogs in portraits from this time is fraught with danger.

The desire to establish type and the rapid increase in the breeds of dogs came about in the 19th Century and coincided with the arrival of the industrial age, the greater distribution of wealth and land, and easier travel, and followed the great “livestock improvers” that England had produced a generation earlier. All this is recorded in art, and by studying it one can appreciate how the few “old breeds” developed and adapted to change and fashion and were themselves the roots from which many “new breeds” grew.

The establishment of what is now The Kennel Club of Great Britain (and at that time Ireland) in 1873 and the American Kennel Club in 1884 introduced breed standards or “word pictures,” which further encouraged the popularity of dog portraiture. Alongside this revolutionary development for the dog as a species, the dog is appearing in other emerging genres: as symbols of nationhood (Bulldog for England, Italian Greyhound for Italy, Poodle for France and others); in satire and cartoons, of which George Cruickshank was one of the early exponents, and anthropomorphism, of which Sir Edwin Landseer was an early master.

The dog’s contribution to humankind is immeasurable, an ever-present fact that has remained constant throughout history.

This feature is in total contrast to my last one, with a gap of nearly 300 years between the artwork. To borrow a phrase from the 1970s comedy series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”: “And now for something completely different” — a selection of imaginative interpretations of the dog in the 21st Century.

The artists and craftspeople from various parts of the world who created the pieces I have selected were probably not dog artists, or even studied dog art, but they observed what purebreds were in vogue and commercial, for they aimed their work for a wider audience than purely “doggy folk.” Many of the modern pieces were designed to stand alone — to make a statement.

Depending where one is standing, the French Bulldog is either one of the success stories in the dog world for its international popularity, and consequently the population explosion it has gained; or has become a victim of over-commercialism. The head of the French Bulldog is the only piece I have chosen that is by a known sculptor. The work of Matt Buckley (whose first piece was a Bull Terrier’s head) is fast becoming known. His original clay sculptures are reproduced in a blend of marble clay castings. He describes his pieces as “emotionally evocative, fiercely modern and influenced by style rather than subject.”

The designer of the footstool has taken as an inspiration the anthropomorphic work of the Belgium artist Thierry Poncelet, the artist most responsible for reintroducing anthropomorphism in dog art. With its multitude of awards and medals, the dog has a very aristocratic background. 

The multi-colored French Bulldog is created with the interior designer in mind, someone who wants a piece to make a statement.

The Chihuahua is another breed whose popularity has not escaped the imaginative designers of the 21st Century as the “crazy” pop art inspired dog shows. The Chihuahua’s air of self-importance still manages to shine through, though.

Recycling has been with us for years, but upcycling — giving redundant objects a new lease of life as something different — is one of the latest art forms. The creators of the metal Bulldog and Dachshund (above and below) have imagined every redundant mechanical object – cogs and wheels, pistons and other bits of industrial paraphernalia — to make something decorative for modern living.

In the 1930s, Walt Disney created Pluto, with big floppy ears with the tips turned over, bright eyes and a long nose. A contemporary interpretation in aluminium with a bronze collar (below) stands on either side of the steps leading to a period house, proving that when carefully chosen, the ancient and modern can live amicably side by side.