Painting is one of the world’s oldest art forms. Even our earliest ancestors were known to enjoy painting, as a way of expressing their own unique worldview, by painting images of themselves and the creatures around them onto their cave walls.
Even to this day, painting is one of the world’s finest art forms, and prevails as one of the best documentations of human history and an insight into the human mind!
However, it isn’t just us humans that paint… Far from it! There are plenty of amazing animals that have become renowned for their artistic skills and their ability to create unique artwork using paint.
But what are these animals? Why do they paint? Is their work worth anything? Let’s delve together into the wild and often surprising world of animal painting, to discover some of the best artwork to ever find its way out of the animal kingdom.
Read on down below to get started!
Pigcasso
Let’s start today’s list with a very specific example of ‘Pigcasso’, the world-renowned pig that has earned acclaim for his ability to create colorful masterpieces.
Pigcasso herself was actually saved from slaughter from a South African farm, and now she dedicates herself to painting in order to raise money to help save more pigs (see also: 6 Types Of Pigs That You Need To Know About)from their unfortunate fates, as well as to generally raise awareness of the cruelty that occurs in farms that rear pigs for pork products.
Pigcasso has already managed to make quite a splash across the internet, thanks to her multiple social media channels, as well as the high value that her paintings manage to accrue. One of her best-selling paintings managed to earn around $27,000!
We can’t blame anyone for wanting to pay the Earth for Pigcasso’s artwork, it’s incredibly vibrant, and the many videos of Pigcasso in the zone prove that she has a clear passion for every piece she creates.
Pigcasso doesn’t just make artwork for walls, however, as the Pigcasso website also lists a number of awesome NFTs that can be purchased for those digital collectors out there!
Pigcasso is an inspiring story of how every creature on this planet potentially has something to offer, and even the potential to become something totally unimaginable!
Elephants
It is important to mention outright that elephants are not necessarily naturally given to painting while out in the wild, but the behavior has been observed as being pleasurable for them, especially those that are kept in captivity in zoos or wildlife reserves.
Elephants living at the Melbourne Zoo have been trained to paint specific images or to simply paint whatever they like on a canvas.
While this behavior is largely observed as being pleasurable for elephants, there is some level of controversy regarding the act of training elephants to paint.
Some suspect that it is not the act of painting that is pleasurable for elephants, but instead the positive reinforcement they receive from their trainers and zookeepers as a result of creating their art.
Many believe that elephants in Melbourne Zoo or even painting elephants found at Chiang Mai are being forced to paint for the pleasure of observing guests rather than for their own pleasure.
However, despite the potential controversy surrounding elephant paintings, the paintings themselves are undeniably great and display a level of skill that is incredibly mind-blowing.
The paintings are very colorful, and some even display full and recognizable forms, such as elephant forms and shapes like trees.
Dolphins
Various dolphins across the world, especially those kept in marine-life reserves have shown immense skill regarding the act of painting.
Many of the dolphins and even a number of the beluga whales at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies have been taught how to paint.
These talents are often shown off to the public at various events in which the dolphins are given a paintbrush and then encouraged to paint on a canvas provided by one of the trainers.
The dolphins are able to distinguish between distinct colors and combine them together on the canvas to create unique kaleidoscopes of color that often wow guests.
Once again, it is not really known why dolphins are able to pick up the skill, but it is likely that positive reinforcement from trainers, such as being given food after completing a painting task contributes towards their desire to paint.
This, of course, has led many to question the ethics of teaching dolphins how to paint.
Rabbits
A few rabbits have also been known to paint a few masterpieces in their time. Much like many other animals that can be domesticated and kept as pets, rabbits can easily be trained to learn how to paint.
One of the most famous examples of a rabbit that can paint is Bini the Bunny, a rabbit sensation that has managed to take the internet by storm.
Across Bini’s multiple Youtube videos and social media posts, the tiny and adorable rabbit has been able to display his artistic prowess!
In fact, Bini has created so many masterpieces over the years that he also sells a number of them via his own website which especially displays his artwork, which usually sells for around $90 to around $150 or even more!
Bini has even earned such acclaim that he has also released his own children’s book that depicts his amazing story, and acts as an awesome source of inspiration for kids all over the world that find themselves blown away by Bini’s immense talents.
Bini’s story easily acts as a source of inspiration for anyone, as it shows that great things can easily come in little and unsuspecting packages.
Dogs
We all know that dogs can be trained to do all kinds of things. Why else would they now be considered to be ‘Man’s best friend’?
Of course, the things that dogs can learn are not simply limited to things like simply sitting, rolling over, or chasing a ball, as it is actually possible to teach a dog how to draw or paint!
There are numerous dogs across the internet that have earned themselves some serious acclaim thanks to how skillfully they manage to manipulate the paintbrush, and how well they are able to glide it across the canvas to create various striking images that are full of color and personality.
Jumpy is one of the most well-known dog artists in the world, and this is thanks to how good he is at bringing to life all kinds of glorious and almost realistic images to wow his audience.
Jumpy is able to render entire landscapes thanks to the help of his owner, who helps to guide Jumpy along his art journey.
You won’t be able to believe your eyes when you look at Jumpy’s artwork. The masterful control of color and brushwork is totally mind-blowing, and it is incredible to know that it has all been carefully rendered by Jumpy himself.
Watching footage of Jumpy painting is incredible, as the sight of his tail wagging proves that Jumpy is having the time of his life!
Another famous dog painter is Hallie, a dog that is actually blind.
Hallie’s owner discovered early on that she enjoyed painting, but sadly Hallie lost her vision not too long after this passion was discovered. But this wasn’t enough to keep Hallie from pursuing her passion.
Hallie is still able to manipulate the paintbrush with surprising accuracy, and every time you see her brush to connect with the canvas, you can see the sheer joy spreading across her body!
The profits generated from Hallie’s artwork have gone towards numerous charitable causes that have helped numerous dog rescues across the nation to continue their efforts in earnest.
Donkeys
One of the first cases of an animal becoming an artistic sensation all across the world occurred in the year 1910 when renowned Italian painter Joachim-Raphael Boronali attached a small paintbrush to the tail of his donkey and then influenced it to move the paintbrush across a canvas.
One of the paintings created by Joachim’s donkey was the renowned painting ‘Et Le Soleil S’endormit Sur L’Adriatique’ which depicted the sunset over the Adriatic.
The majority of the painting was completed by Joachim himself, with his donkey helping to add the finishing touches towards the end.
The resulting painting sold for around 400 francs in the year it was produced, and has since been donated to the Orphelinat Des Arts gallery where it is still on display to this day!
To Wrap Up
There you have it! Those are just a few cases of some of the most famous animal breeds that have been shown to engage in the act of painting, as well as a few specific cases of domestic animals that enjoy the activity.
Of course, naturally, the act of painting by animals brings with it a number of moral questions surrounding whether or not it is ethical for animals to be made to paint, and whether they truly enjoy doing it.
Regardless, it is clear that some animals truly have an innate talent for creating beautiful pieces of art!
Hi, I’m Olivia Kepner and I am a zookeeper here in San Diego. Since I was a young girl I have always been fascinated by animals and species across the globe.
I used to beg my parents to take me to our local zoo every single weekend. Well, I say local – it was more like a two hour drive away. But they took me as much as they could, allowing me to fall in love with the animals again and again.
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