To demonstrate my understanding of the arts and the human experience, I selected my honors project for ART-131 (Drawing I), which I took over the course of sixteen weeks in the fall of 2023 and was one of two art classes I was able to complete honors projects for. The topic I selected, animal iconography in art, was something I had desired to study for quite a long time prior to taking the class, and I immediately requested it for my honors project. As soon as it was approved, I worked the entirety of the semester compiling valuable information and analyzing artistic works from all over the world in different eras, making this one of the longest papers I have written here at South Piedmont Community College. Being passionate about the project, however, made it fly by, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing it.

My project was titled “Animal Presence and Iconography in Art Throughout History and the Role of Art in the Protection and Conservation of Endangered Species,” and it explored the decoration, symbolical, and allegorical portrayal of animals in the visual arts, as well as the relationship between our world and theirs and the impact art has had on their wellbeing and protection in modern and early times. I included artwork ranging from animals in ancient art (Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Asian, and Pre-Columbian), animals in the medieval period (Early Christian, Migration, Byzantine, Insular, Romanesque, and Gothic), animals in the Renaissance period, animals in the baroque period, animals in the neoclassical period, animals in the romantic period, animals in the modern period, and animals in the contemporary period. Many of the later periods cover a range of artistic styles, such as surrealism, impressionism, abstract expressionism, and fauvism. While I could not cover all the art, time periods, and artistic styles I desired over the course of one semester, I managed to explore more than I ever had before and learned an extensive amount about animal iconography and how animals have been portrayed anthropomorphically and zoomorphically throughout art history.

The goals I had selected previously for this assignment were to conduct a study on three major artists and write about them and their artwork, and to study cultural artwork from three different countries and research the impact it has on society. While I most certainly accomplished these goals in other assignments in my art courses, I did not feel that they applied well to this particular project, or at least, they were not as measurable and specific to my assignment as I would have liked. I did, in a sense, have both these goals within my project, but did not entirely use them—I studied three major artists within my paper, though I did not write about them specifically, and I studied artwork from many countries, though I did not explore how the artwork impacted each country’s society. That said, the alternative goals I selected were to develop an understanding of anthropomorphism and zoomorphism to clearly explain the difference within my assignment, and the second was to explore the significance and impacts that animals have had on humanity and culture throughout history.

For the first goal, developing an understanding of anthropomorphism and zoomorphism to clearly explain the difference within my assignment, I had to first find sources on the topic—especially ones with a focus on art—which proved to be somewhat tricky, but with the help of the SPCC Librarians, I discovered one book—The Continuum Encyclopedia of Animal Symbolism in World Art—which gave me a clear understanding of the topic and specifically how it applies to animal iconography. I communicated my thoughts and newfound knowledge on anthropomorphism and zoomorphism primarily in my introduction, giving readers an understanding to better prepare them to identify and comprehend the symbolism and use of such within the art pieces throughout my paper.

My second goal, exploring the significance and impacts that animals have had on humanity and culture throughout history, I was able to accomplish in nearly all areas of my paper, considering I explored many artworks and their cultural significance and many animals and their meaning to humanities in different time periods. For example, the prevalence and significance of lions in Mesopotamian art, the strange and silly depictions and beliefs that medieval people had about sea turtles, snakes, and badgers, and the significance of peacocks to neoclassical artists. For nearly all the artworks I selected, I included an analysis and historical and cultural context, as well as why or what made those animals important in art—to the artist and viewers.

This was perhaps one of my favorite projects completed in my time here at South Piedmont Community College, and certainly one that I am most proud of—as it demonstrates not only an immense amount of time spent towards creating it but also my love of both art and animals. In ART-132 (Drawing II), I actually had the opportunity to create my own artwork based on the topics I explored in this paper, which can be found in my gallery and additional education page.