Menonday Art Vibe; Poochy Paintings 1

Nature turns up in paintings all the way from cave wall days. Those early marks were either pictures of triumph in the hunts... or plans for the same. Strategy drawings so everyone knew where they needed to be to snag that stag, fork that pork, bag that bear. One thing that shows up in some of these cave works is that there are cooperators in the form of dogs. 

Dogs have been featured in artworks ever since. This month, I will share four from the National Galleries of Scotland that I found particularly appealing and that demonstrate how meaningful this relationship is.

This piece is little more than A4/Foolscap in size, but look at the detail! One has a sense of slightly faded grandeur, of the mind being more important than the body for the older resident. The young fellow has brought a letter recommending him to the older bloke, hoping to gain his favour as a mentor. All of this story comes across beautifully. Painted long before the time of Dickens, it nonetheless has that quality about it, do you agree?

And then there is the most delightful detail of the dog... who is doing what all dogs will do when somebody new enters their sphere. Gives them a good sniffing! What dog owner among us has not witnessed precisely this behaviour countless times? Surely if the dog approves, it is further recommendation!