My Ideas for the Dog Art Wing

The Cincy Art Museum

Dear George,

One perk of being retired is that I get to go more often to local art shows.  In particular, I go to all the new exhibitions at the Art Museum.  With over 60,000 works, this is one of the most comprehensive museums in the Midwest.  It’s best known for its collections of European old masters (e.g., Botticelli, Rubens, Hals), ancient Middle Eastern art, and its 15-gallery Cincinnati art history wing (e.g., Frank Duveneck, Robert Scott Duncanson, Elizabeth Nourse, Henry Farny).  Though not many people know it, we also have an excellent collection of artworks featuring dogs.  These are currently scattered throughout the museum.  If all of these dog works were assembled in a single wing, it would undoubtedly draw visitors from far and wide.  I’ve taken photos of a number of the museum’s dog paintings and sculptures. They are arranged chronologically below, and I’ve added some poetic commentary. Here’s how our dog collection is looking these days. 

Mithras Slaying the Sacred Bull, c. 150-200, Roman, limestone.

Mithras gets credit for slaying the bull

Though his dog did much of the work

You or I could poke a bull with a knife

But biting the bull is berserk

Relief depicting a boar hunt.  Northwestern Iran, Daghestan.  13^th or 14^th century.

When you set out to slay the wild boar

Bring two or three dogs to the hunt 

A boar can gore you from stem to stern
That's why the dogs are in front

Millefleurs Tapestry.  Flemish, 1520-25

There were many strange beasts in the Middle Ages

Unicorns and minotaurs and deer

Dogs were the best behaved of the lot

They kept all the serfs in good cheer

Jan Verkolje.  Lute Player with Boy and Dog.  (ca. 1670s)

The lute makes the prettiest sound there is

It leads the all the young folks to dance

This boy is impressed by his hip-hopping dog

Who knew how well he could prance?

Benjamin West.  Anne Allen, later Mrs. John Penn.  (1763)

Anne Allen is looking pretty but sad

Her thoughts are many miles away

It turns out Anne is in love with a cad

Let’s pray her dog keeps him at bay

Sir Joshua Reynolds.  Richard Pelers Symons, M.P.  (1770-71)

M.P. Symons is surely a handsome fellow

Affluent, poised, and genteel

His greyhound is chiseled and masculine

He helps the M.P. look more real

Martin Quadal.  Self-portrait.  (1788)

Martin Quadal wears his finest green robe

His dog’s quite attuned to his master

Some think that the canine’s admiring Quadal

Not true, he just wants dinner faster

English School.  Young Boy With a Dog.  (ca. 1800)

Here is a boy who is baffled by life

He’s lucky he’s got a wise dog

The dog protects his young master from strife

And they’re both thrilled to be on a blog

Cardinal Alessandro Lante Della Rovere’s Dog, Italian School.  (ca. 1816-1818)

The Cardinal’s dog isn’t much of a hunter

Nor a guard dog nor a herder of sheep

He spends his time on his bright red pillow

His singular talent is sleep.

Alvan Fisher.  Little Bo-Peep.  (1835)

Bo Peep is a famous shepherdess

But I think she’s forgotten her job

Her dog better hurry and round up her sheep

Or soon they’ll be lamb shish kebab

Powell, William Henry.  Portrait of a Boy and Dog.  (1836)

This dog has become very worried

His master lost both of his shoes

The dog knows the boy is in danger

No shoes and his feet he will bruise

Daniel Saint.  Lady With a Greyhound.  (ca. 1839-42)

Here is a damsel with a most manly pet

He adds grace and style to her fame

We no longer know who the lady is

But Boris is the greyhound’s name

Theodore Robinson.  A Canine Patient.  (ca. 1883)

This little pup is most content

He rests on his sweet human’s lap

She says that she is ready to play

But he’s busy taking his nap

Lilly Martin Spenser.  The Dogged Class.  1885.  

Betty Sue has gathered all of her dogs

She’s hosting a New Year’s Eve party

The dogs aren’t into parties that much

They’re content to sit back and look arty

Joseph Henry Sharp.  Fountain Square Pantomime.  (1892).  (Segment of larger painting)

Here are some kiddies on Fountain Square

The crowd is awaiting the parade

The little bull terrier has the best seat of all

He’s impressed by the copper’s tirade

Charles T. Webber.  Fugitives Arriving at Levi Coffin’s Indiana Farm, A Busy Station of the Underground Railroad.  (1893)

It’s a cold winter night on the Coffin farm

The dog is greeting freed slaves

He’s there to keep the visitors from harm

And help them escape from the knaves

George Bellows.  Hungry Dogs.  (1916)

These are many wild dogs in the city

They scavenge the alleys for bread

It’s important for dogs to be gritty

Their option is winding up dead

Edward H. Potthast.  Playmates.  (ca. 1918)

Now we’ve arrived at the Jersey shore

The beach, the kids, and the sea

The children are looking for sharks in the waves

While the dog’s getting ready to pee

John Stuart Curry.  The Old  Folks (Mother and Father).  (1929)

It’s Sunday morning down on the farm

The dog has her eye on the cows

Ma is knitting her blue cotton scarf

But Pa would prefer to carouse

There are many other dog pics at the museum that I haven’t had space to include here.  All in all, these images lead me to several conclusions.  (1) Aside from human beings, there are more artistic depictions of dogs than of any other living creature.  The latter would include cats, squirrels, tigers, horses, cows, elephants, turtles, birds, whales, butterflies, and giraffes.  (2) Human beings look much more interesting when they have a dog at their side. (3) Dog pictures elicit more pleasant feelings than do still lifes, landscapes, or abstract expressionism.  It’s no wonder artists are drawn to dogs. 

Love,

Dave