Friday, December 13, 2013

Elephants in Art

                                                                                             Elephants in the Arts

Elephants have been depicted in art since prehistoric times. The earliest images of elephants that have been displayed are etched on Egyptian ivory combs. These etchings date back as late as 3400 B.C. In these images it depicts three elephants stomping on cobras.

When it came to Egyptian art, elephants and other animals were used due to their attributes and characteristics. Over time these animals grew in importance and became symbols later on in Egyptian culture. Animals such as elephants, giraffes, leopard, and lions were just a few of many species the early nomads encountered.

In more modern art, elephants can be seen artist such as Salvador Dali masterpieces. In Dali’s piece Dream Caused by the Flight of A Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening shown to the right, he puts a new twist on how the elephant is symbolized in art. When it comes to art, elephants symbolize strength, dominance, and power. However, Dali contradicts the way the elephant depicts strength by painting the elephant with long spindly legs carrying bricks on its back to show the strength of the animal.

Ref:


No comments:

Post a Comment