Customer Reviews

Animals and Men: Their Relationship as Reflected in Western Art From Prehistory to the Present Day

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Nearly every page includes a colorful plate or illustration of the remarkable influence of animals on art, From the ancient Egyptians through the Rennaisance and the Romantics. (207 plates in total, many full page+ size) This book is a great source of classic art illustrations and the theme of animal representations makes an interesting touchstone. This volume is for the artist studying the representation of the animal form or the art historian looking for a novel collection. I recommend this book if you have are either.

The book is oversized, but not too much, so it could be a coffee table book or fit well on the shelf.

Some plates are not well identified on their page, but info about sources and artists is found separately in the book.

If one had to select just one Art Book to take on one's life journey, Kenneth Clark's brilliant "Animals and Men" would be the one for this reviewer. My copy by now has been enjoyed by many visiting friends over the last forty years, and it inspired me when much younger to start drawing from painters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Stubbs, Degas, Botticelli, Titian, Renoir to name just a few. Clark's book has 219 illustrations, 84 in color, and covers the relations between people and animals over the centuries. You will find chapters on the harmony of men and animals, marginal birds, the animal-loving Egyptians, wild jungle denizens, pet dogs of the Renaissance, enchanting paintings of children and animals, the mysterious Unicorn and much more. When an acquaintance was trying to remember a painting of a magnificent horse he had once seen at a museum in London, I knew he was referring to "Whistlejacket" by Stubbs, and showed him the color illustration in Clark's volume which he recognized at once. Recently, I discovered that this book was available on Amazon for pennies, and treated myself to another copy in mint condition. It is the right size and not too cumbersome with an enjoyable clear text describing the world of art in the context of humans and animals from the beginning of history. A pleasure on all accounts, it would make an elegant and inspiring gift for those who have an eye for beauty and an affinity for our animal friends; all creatures great and small. Highly recommend for lovers of art.