Dog Art Today

Tag: Jean-Léon Gérôme

  • Jean-Léon Gérôme’s A Bashi-Bazouk and His Dog

    Gerome_bashi_bazouk_dog
    A Bashi-Basouk and His Dog by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1824 – 1904

    I know the Orientalists are not always considered cool.  But I love the theatricality of Jean-Léon Gérôme and his dogs are spectacular.

    This painting, A Bashi-Basouk and His Dog is one of the highlights of Sotheby's New York April 24, 2009 auction of 19th Century European Art Including Orientalist Paintings, Drawings and Sculptures.  Its estimate is $600,000 – $800,000.  You can view all the works starting April 18, 2009.  Visit Sotheby's for more information.

    Art Knowledge News has a nice overview of the auction.

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  • John T. Unger’s Cave Canum Redux: Lupus Ludi

    Dog_mosaic_lupus_ludi

    I flipped when I saw John T. Unger’s interpretation of Pompeii’s famous “Beware of Dog” sign, Cave Canum.  It is so vivid, and beautifully laid out.   Look at the special attention he gives to the dog’s curved hind leg muscles, and compare it to the original:

    Dog_mosaic_cave_canem

    Cave Canem, Pompeii, c. 50 A.D.

    I also love his desire to match the text with the image.  Unger felt like the dog looked too happy to be a threat.   So, after much research and Latin word play, he came up with Lupus Ludi, which to him translated into “playful wolf.”  A Latin scholar left a comment on his blog explaining that the exact translation would be “Wolf. Games.”   She suggested, “Happy Puppy’ would be ‘Laetus catellus’ (lit. ‘joyful puppy’).  [or] Playful wolf would be ‘Lupus ludibundus.”

    But I think Unger is correct.  Artistically speaking “Lupus Ludi” is just right.  It also reminds me of the Italian expression for good luck, “in bocca al lupo,” or  “in the mouth of the wolf.”  I have no idea where the saying comes from, but a good luck dog sign is a nice idea too.  After all, isn’t every home with a dog a lucky home?

    Here are some more Cave Canems (pl?) to enjoy:

    Cave_Canem

    Cave_Canem_Gérôme

    Cave Canem by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1881

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    Close up of the Cave Canem sign from Gérôme’s painting above

    Cave Canem also makes a cameo in my “Dogs in Art” film:

    Visit John T. Unger’s website to see more of his wonderful artwork. He also is the TypePad guru at TypePad Hacks, where he shares tips about going under your blog’s hood and tweaking it to your heart’s content. Very cool.

  • Surprising Results at Christie’s Dog Sale

    Waiting

    Edwin Landseer’s high profile Neptune estimated to sell for between $800,000 – 1.2 million did not find a buyer at Christie’s Dog Sale today. Richard Ansdell’s Two King Charles Spaniels, and Aurthur Wardle’s Bulldogs of the Twentieth Century remained unsold as well.

    But John Singer Sargent’s Pointy was a star, selling for $432,000, well above the $60,000 – $80,000 asking price! Jean-Léon Gérôme’s, Etude de Chien d Terra-Nuova, the gorgeous Newfoundland portrait, also exceeded expectations, selling for $204,000, above the $120,000 – $180,000 estimates.

    And a big surprise was Thomas Blinks’s Waiting for the Guns (above), which was estimated to sell for $200,000 – $300,000. And it went for $564,000! This is a World Auction Record for the artist, doubling his previous record.

    Overall, Clare McKeon, VP, British & Irish Art, is said to have been pleased with Christie’s inaugural Dog Sale which saw strong bidding from American private clients and broke World Auction Records for the artists Thomas Blinks, Thomas Hewes Hinckley and Niki de Saint Phalle (see next post below).

  • Christie’s Dog Sale Spotlight: Jean-Léon Gérôme’s Etude de Chien de Terra-Nuova

    Etude

    Jean-Léon Gérôme was a French painter best known for his Neo-Classical and Orientalist style. His Etude de Chien de Terra-Nuova (1852) is another highlight of Christie’s Dog Sale this Friday, estimateed to sell at auction for between $120,000 – $180,000. Although this Newfoundland Dog is said to be painted “without sentimentality,” the scale, the dignity, and the majestic Academic style belie what appears to me as a profound connection between the artist and subject. Some believe this was the artist’s dog. I think that’s a good guess.

    I love this painting because it’s so different from Gérôme’s usual exotic and highly dramatic subjects, like Pollice Verso (below) –- Latin for “Thumbs Down” — one of the paintings that famously convinced Russell Crowe to be in Gladiator.

    Policepost