No products in the cart.
Dogs have been companions to humans for thousands of years, and over that time they’ve inspired some amazing artwork. From paintings to sculptures to tapestries, dogs have been commemorated in some of the world’s most famous pieces of art. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the most famous dog paintings of all time. Whether you’re a dog lover or an art lover, you’re sure to find something interesting in this selection!
These artists with their creative ideas remained successful in getting dogs into their real-life paintings which now have become a part of the historical and classical paintings. These famous paintings with dogs are now praised and appreciated by the current era of dog painting lovers.
Top 20 Most Famous Dog Paintings :
There are uncountable historical paintings of dogs available across the world in museums and some other places. In this article, we will connect you to some of the 20 most popular dogs painting that is available in different parts of the world. To know about them keep reading this article till the end.
"A Friend in Need (dogs playing poker)"1903- Cassius Marcellus Coolidge
This painting is the most recognized painting of the Renaissance era which included dogs, and it was among the most popular copies in modern times because it was usually seen everywhere hanging on the walls of restaurants, pubs and in a variety of other places. This painting has become so common that it is referred to as “dogs playing poker”.
In this Painting, it is shown that a serious poker game is played among a group of dogs. In the original work, there are 7 dogs sitting around a card table and playing a serious game of high-stakes poker. After this creation, there were many copies and variations of this particular painting. The different copies consist of different breeds of dogs and even other animals.
The painting’s name can be seen in the painting itself. You can see two bulldogs seated next to each other at the table with one having a hand of poker that’s one ace shy of having the coveted four Aces and you can see how the dog’s friend bulldog is passing him the needed ace under the table with his paw.
"A Jack In Office"- Sir Edwin Landseer
Sir Edwin Landseer the master artist painted this famous painting with dogs in 1833. Landseer’s painting of dogs is full of symbolism and humour in its own way. He was born in 1802 and hand-painted this painting at the age of 31. This classical painting’s name is taken from the very specific breed of dog which you can see in the Central part of the painting–A Jack Russell terrier. It shows how the system of power and authority of dogs works, as here we can see how Jack Russell terrier has terrified all dogs and each dog is in his control, as Jack is sitting on the top of the table, and he guards the food being eaten by the other dogs. This Painting also displays that in every corner of the world there is a group leader of every dog’s group and no other dog can go beyond his rules, even no one can eat before him.
"The Dog" - Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya was a well-known romanticist painter of the 18th and 19th centuries. He was a Spanish artist and one painting that he did is considered to be the most famous pet painting in history. It is listed as one of Goya’s Black Paintings as he painted this while he was living alone and facing a problem of acute mental and physical distress. His painting has never been displayed in any exhibition as they remained in his house for more than 50 years until he left his home.
The name of the painting is simply “The dog” and it was created in 1823. This painting is a simple composition, which is divided into two halves: the first is the upper section and the second is the lower section. The sky has a unique and reddish colour while the dog which is seen below has a body covered by sand or some sort of substance.
This painting has made critics argue about the real meaning of the work but most of them agree that Goa was simply trying to show loneliness in the dog’s eyes as we can see that the dog’s head is raised, and the ears are positioned as if he is being attentive to things out of view on the right side of the Canvas. It is very hard to determine what Goa intended to show in his work because it was never meant to be publicly exhibited and he was also a mental illness patient.
"King Charles Spaniel" - Eduard Manet
During the era of impressionism, there was Edouard Manet, A famous French painter who lived and worked in the 19th century. He used to do painting scenes that are actually present in his life and he was very different from the painters of that time who represented religious figures in their paintings and also some social life of French society at that time.
One of his famous dog paintings works is known as the King Charles spaniel. King Charles spaniel is also a dog breed of the spaniel type and most popular with another name called English Toy Spaniel. Edouard Manet created this painting in 1866. The painting represents the same emotion and hallmarks that his other masterpiece offers to the viewer.
As you can see in this painting the dog is sitting on the top of a plush red pillow as it is representing some sort of royal figure. Manet’s brushstroke has perfectly captured the sweeping curls of the Dog and the hair is also appearing to have a shine, and it represents that the dog is well taken care of by the family.
"Head of a Dog" - Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch is among the most iconic artists of the 29th century as his work represents more and has its own unique properties to them. Among his famous paintings, the head of a dog was a very notable painting. This particular painting was completed by Edward in 1930, and it represents a very simple composition of a dog’s head and neck.
Munch experienced a very critical time during the first decades of the 20th century shortly after the loss of his mother and sister who died in 1908. To cope with this grief, Edward started developing a special affinity with dogs, who gave him company during the years when he was suffering from the loss of his close family members. This particular painting depicts the head of Edvard’s beloved dog.
"Julie Manet and her Greyhound Laertes" - Berthe Morisot
This particular painting was created by Berthe Morisot who was a prominent artist from the impressionist era. Many of her creations represent various social settings and also portraits of people. This particular painting represents a woman with her dog. She was a well-known female artist from the impressionist era and her style of painting was very iconic as she represented impressionist movements with her bold use of brush strokes and coloration.
"Lady Hamilton as (Nature)" - George Romney
George Romney was a well-known artist of the 18th century. He was a famous British artist who had a knack for creating works that have realistic effects and Romney also commissioned painting works for many royal officials and public figures during his career.
One of his famous paintings is named Lady Hamilton; this painting was created in 1782 and this is raised as George Romney’s outstanding use of light against a dark background which brings the feature of the lady in the work. And the expression on the face of the pub which is in the arm of the lady is intensively looking at the viewers.
"Hunting Dogs in a Boat" - Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer was a well known American painter from the 19th century who was famous for his work that represented the real essence of life for common people in the United States. The greatest work of Winslow Homer is a painting named dogs in a boat. This painting was created in 1889, and it shows Winslow’s favorite gateway location which was a hunting lodge, that is located in Adirondack which includes the mountains, and is also known for having excellent hunting and fishing opportunities.
In this particular painting, we see that dogs are calmly sitting in the boat, and it appears that the board is drifting towards the placid water with leaves having an autumn shade in the background.
"Diogenes Jean" - Leon Gerome
The next well-known painting of a dog is Diogenes created by Jean-Leon Gerome. This work has elements of the neoclassical era that push you back to the famous Renaissance period where you will see that artists depict humankind and animals in a way that beautifully highlights their best features.
His 1860 work represents the famous Greek philosopher Diogenes being seated in a shelter that was said to be a clay tub while there was a group of dogs which was sitting around him and looking at him intently. Here the dog represents those who viewed diagnosis work and believe in his particular austerity.
"A Couple Of Foxhounds" - George Stubbs
In the mid-1700 fox hunting was a very popular outdoor activity that was very much enjoyed by the nobility and the rich people. In this type of hunting, Hounds were trained to seek out the fox and run after them for hours on end until the animals became tired and allowed hunters a better position to shoot it down. Most hunters feel pride in their Foxhounds as they were considered to be highly valuable symbols of nobility.
The painting of George Stubbs was created in 1762 and named “A couple of Foxhounds”— is the most famous dog painting ever created. This painting was made for a prominent English family and represents two beautiful dogs in front of a natural background. George Stubbs was well recognized for his skill to portray the dogs in a realistic form, and he created many more works that represent foxhounds throughout his career as an artist.
"Still Life With three puppies" - Paul Gauguin
This painting is a very beautiful example of abstract art as when Gauguin painted still life with three puppies, He was staying in Brittany with a group of experimental painters. He refused to use naturalistic depiction and colors saying that art is an abstraction that should be derived from nature while dreaming before it. Paul Gauguin a famous dog artist later died in 1903 just after 15 years of painting this dog painting.
For example, the body of puppies is outlined in bold blue colors and the patterns of their court mirrors, the botanical print of the table cloth. Art critics also say that Gauguin drew stylistic inspiration for this painting from small children’s book illustrations and also from Japanese prints which were shown to him by his loving friend and fellow artist Vincent van Gogh that year.
"Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash" - Giacomo Balla
Adding another name to the famous dog paintings then how can we forget Giacomo Balla. He was very fascinated by the increasing speed and industrialization of the modern world and was a member of Italian futurists. At the time Balla was creating this painting he was fusing Art and science.
This painting is a monochrome painting in which a black Dachshund is walking with a woman in dark shoes and a dress. Giacomo Balla introduced chrono photography in this painting. Chrono photography is a photography technique where multiple photographs are taken in rapid succession to capture the movement of a subject.
"Portrait of Clarissa Strozzi" - Titian
This painting is a beautiful example of historical portrait painting as this painting depicts a small girl child from the old Florentine Family of Strozzi. The girl here seems to be slightly frightened. She holds her little phalane dog on the table. This painting is considered to be the best example of the most beautiful child portraits in the world. The colouring and specification used for this painting is very beautiful like the combination of colours caraman, red, blue and golden yellow. This Canvas stand as an inspiration for similar paintings by different artists like Anthony van dyck.
"Arearea painting" - Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin took inspiration for this painting from his visit to Tahiti. He included in the painting what he saw around him in Tahiti, also so far from the ancient religious tradition and local stories. Arearea is a beautiful representation where dream and reality coexist. This painting included two women sitting in the center of the picture and a tree cutting across the Canvas with a red dog. Where the sky has disappeared, you will see a succession of coloured planes–green, yellow, red– forms the structure of the composition.
This painting was exhibited in Paris in November 1893. Painting was considered by Gauguin as his best animal painting.
"Little Girl in a Blue Armchair" - Mary Cassatt
This painting represents the relationship between Mary Cassatt and the impressionist. This painting was made with a limited palette and some vibrating brush strokes. Cassette created a dynamic interplay of forms that is Captured in movement between rest and play. Here in this old painting light enters the room with a French door in the background and enlivens the texture of the object in the room. Here we can see how the little girl flopped on the chair with the feeling of boredom and exhaustion whereas the small dog is in a state of utter repose.
"The railway painting" - Edouard Manet
This painting disturbingly suggests how people experience it. Pinned against a black iron fence, there is a fashionably dressed female figure physically cut off from the railroad, and they seem like strangers to each other facing in opposite directions and are busy in their activities. Manet the famous artist did not describe any relationship between the girl and the woman reading the book. It represents the Paris renewable program in which railroads were the centre place and destabilized social relations among the people in the City.
"Mr and Mrs Andrews Painting" - Thomas Gainsborough
This painting is Oil on Canvas portrait. This is said to be the greatest and most popular work of Thomas Gainsborough. It remained in the family of the Sitters till 1960 and was exhibited in Ipswich in 1927 after that, it was represented in exhibitions in Britain and abroad and also was praised by critics for its freshness and charm.
It was among the four paintings chosen to be represented in British art in an exhibition in Paris celebrating the coronation of Queen Elizabeth second in 1953.
"Guidobaldo Della Rovere Painting" - Agnolo Bronzino
This painting was of a great Prince Guidobaldo Della Rovere. In this painting, the dog is positioned down a side of the Canvas and a prominent bright red coat in Agnolo Bronzino’s portrait is shown as awkwardly erotic. In this painting, the teenager is acting as a reagent in his father’s absence. This animal painting represents the sexually charged and independence of the teenager and also shows its maturity in it.
"Hunting Dogs With Dead Hare" - Gustave Courbet
This painting is a beautiful example of an oil classical painting and its picture dates to the same year when Corbett debuted his hunting scene at the Paris salon in 1857. It shows a comparison between the slightly earlier The Quarry which includes the same pair of haunting dogs but with a dead stag instead of a share. This painting was described by the German painter Otto Schoclderer. He says that Courbet painted the dogs and the landscape from his memory but the landscape was modelled from life.
"Lump" - Pablo Picasso
The artist that had made history by creating a dog painting is master creator Pablo Picasso. As everyone knows he was a true animal lover and always connects himself with the souls of animals. He also had a dog in her house of Dachshund breed and had named him Lump. Picasso has captured several time brushstrokes on canvas and other things. Picasso doesn’t need a pencil and paper to portray pictures he uses anything and just starts painting. The same happened in the case of this painting as this was also painted by Picasso on a plate and was gifted to the actual owner of Lump photographer David Douglas Duncan.
The story behind this starts from when Lump first time met Picasso in the year 1957 after Duncan and Picasso were having dinner and Picasso asked Duncan if Lump ever had a plate of his own. And after knowing that dog doesn’t have one then he immediately picked up his brush and painted a portrait of a lump on his dinner plate along with the description of work dated and dedicated to the lump. Picasso then gifted this plate to Duncan. Later this originally painted plate by Picasso was donated by Duncan to the Harry Ransom Center situated at the University of Texas at Austin in the year 2011.
