graphic arts
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, art is elucidated as an expression or a presentation of personal creative skills and imagination, mostly in a visual form such as paintings or sculptures (Boundless Art History, 2020). These graphic arts are either to be prized for their beauty or used a tool to convey a message.
With the constant growth and the ever-swelling demand for art, many artists are inclined to innovate new ways to bring forth new pieces consistently. They use animals, plants, or even minerals to showcase their talents. (Pedagogy, 2020). These animals or plants are either used as collaborators, which means that they are used in a platform alongside the artist, or they are used as the art material. The latter connotes that they are the main components of the virtuosity.
When animals or plants are used as collaborators in art, the artist focuses on changing their perspective on how art is made and merging their ways to how their art can be influenced by the other species. They intensively tend to connect with the animals and integrate their behavior or characteristics into their day to day lives. (Jevbrat, 2020). This mode of art mainly focuses on addressing issues such as the plight of animals, animal subjugation, and many other relations of animals or plants in our culture. However, most of these art displays are traditional in their way of visualization as they portray the animals used as of a lower hierarchy than human beings. This brings about ethical issues enforcing that the animals or plants used are not only parts of art but need to be respected.
When used as an art material, the animals or plants are arranged in a significant and specific design that is relatable to the artist who tends to convey an individual message. (“Artwork made using Animal and Plant Material – Victoria – Arts Law Centre of Australia,” 2020) The difference between the two is that in the first instance, the animals or plants used usually are alive, but in the latter art form, the artist makes use of carcasses or dead plant materials to bring out their art.