The Gazette

After my first month of Dogs in Art, I have started to reevaluate my relationship with animals. I realized that I had put animals in the background of my mind, instead of giving them proper attention.  Fruit and Insects by Rachael Ruysch For instance, in this still life, the insects and fruit are treated with the same attention to detail. The butterfly is the same quality as the peaches; the snail has the same texture as the squash. By taking this class I've realized that animals aren't just decorations; they have their own rich inner life outside of human interaction.  As I continue to explore the relationship between humans and dogs, I hope to find out how to have better communication with the animals in my life.

     After reading about St. Guinefort, I began to think about other animals that were adopted into Christianity. The most obvious that came to mind was a lamb. Where did this motif originate? Because the ancient world was rooted in agriculture, I found that many traditions referenced sheep. These ideas were absorbed into Christian theology to produce one of the most popular depictions of Jesus Christ today: the Good Shepherd. Jesus as a shepherd. The Hebrew Bible referred to sheep and lambs often. For instance, Abraham sacrificed a lamb in place of his son Isaac, which Christians believe is an allegory for the sacrifice of Christ. This story is also important to Muslims and Jews. In all three traditions, the story teaches of obedience and altruistic sacrifice. Clearly, lambs were of great value to this early Middle Eastern society as they were seen as sacrifices of equal value to a child.  Timurid (Persian) art depicting Abraham sacrificing his son. This illustratio...