STUDY SERIES | PRETTY WILD | PAWS & PORTRAITS | Animals in Art with Katherine Kovacic

When humankind first began painting on cave walls, we chose to depict animals. Since then, animals of all species have been an integral part of art, but none more so than our beloved domestic animals: dogs, horses, cats and birds. 

This lecture will consider animals in art from a variety of perspectives, including dogs as symbols, the significance of the human-animal bond, and audience response to animals in portraiture.

KATHERINE KOVACIC is an independent researcher with special interests in animal behaviour, the role of animals in art and representations of the human-animal bond. She has an Honours degree in Veterinary Science, and a Master of Arts and PhD in Art History.

The PRETTY WILD Study Series will reflect on the themes explored in ANIMAL KINGDOM (13 June 2017 -19 September 2017) exhibition-house tour. We know that all the speakers offer wonderful insights through their individual knowledge whilst exploring the artistic, social, and cultural worlds where a menagerie of art, fashion, interiors and design and animals meet.

image: Harold Septimus Power (New Zealand-born Australian, 1877-1951) Rough Collie, England, circa 1920, oil (sketch) on canvas, private collection, image supplied and used with permission