Animal Art: The Story and Science of how Animals inspired Human Creativity and made Us Artists

Animal Art examines what prehistoric art tells us about the psychological and cultural meaning of the relationship between people and animals since the earliest times and throughout the ages. The book focuses on parietal art, animals depicted in cave drawings, paintings, and engravings. The role of animals as subjects in other forms of art, and pragmatic manufactured items, is also covered, completing the analytical scope by referencing carved figurines, jewelry, decorative adornments, tools, and weapons. This work is a carefully documented scientific study and simultaneously a fascinating narrative, repleted with visual imagery, designed to provide the reader with a comprehensive understanding of a subject that is enormously broad in scope and complexity. Exploring the mysterious affinity between people and animals, as expressed in the artistic creations of our early ancestors, Animal Art ultimately encourages us to reflect more profoundly on the nature of human condition.

Walter Tarello is an artist, a veterinary doctor (DVM, MRCVS) and the author of 64 scientific papers and 7 illustrated books about wild animals, including deer, marmots, raptors and leopards.

Since receiving his degree, he has cultivated an interest in anthropology and the human-animal interactions at the origin of prehistoric art. He lives and practices in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He can be reached at the following email addresses: wtarello@yahoo.it .