Why are there so many canines in fine art?

(theatlantic.com)

15 points | by prismatic 3 days ago

7 comments

  • magneticnorth 2 hours ago
    The human-dog relationship is maybe my favorite thing about being human.

    We've bred this companion animal that we're able to bond with so deeply, and I so appreciate the simplicity of the bidirectional unconditional love. So rare between humans, so common human-to-dog.

    This article makes an interesting point about dog attention as a focal point in art - not something I'd noticed before, but I enjoy having it pointed out to me.

    • NopIdoN 21 minutes ago
      yet "like a dog" is rarely flattering
      • zmgsabst 14 minutes ago
        “Dogged” is approximately 700 years old and complimentary.
    • mc32 1 hour ago
      That the dogs are just about always subordinates and subservient makes the relationship easier to work -and of course, dogs are happy to comply since it's part of their instinct to be subordinate in the presence of a dominant being (canine or person). Human to human is a little more difficult since outside of structured organization, we don't tend to play subordinate in most Western culture. You do see some cultures where men play an exceedingly dominant role (where women by multiple facets of tradition play the submissive role) and there is less man-woman strife, yet there is man-man strife since outside of structured organizations men don't automatically measure up and decide they are inferior or superior and accept and internalize that relationship (though some Eastern cultures do display deference at a superficial level).

      Moms also tend to have a soft-spot for the momma's boys.

      • squidsoup 1 hour ago
        > That the dogs are just about always subordinates and subservient makes the relationship easier to work

        You've clearly never lived with a border collie.

      • magneticnorth 54 minutes ago
        > You do see some cultures where men play an exceedingly dominant role .. and there is less man-woman strife

        Citation needed

  • stefan_lec 16 minutes ago
    Because they couldn’t get the cats to pose obediently for the artist?
  • newtonianrules 27 minutes ago
    Because dogs are awesome. Next question!
  • JimsonYang 1 hour ago
    Is it the same in movies? I wonder if the dogs motif is across different media format
  • magneticnorth 2 hours ago
  • SanjayMehta 2 hours ago
    > Sometimes he stared first at the ball or man, then back at me, then at the ball or man again, until I retrieved the ball or moved away from the man.

    My dog stares at me, then the AC, then back at me again when he wants it turned on.

  • metalman 1 hour ago
    come on! dogs knew where technology was going and started there media based influencer campain early, knowing that was key to them beating us into space

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika