Seals, pigs, kangaroos giraffes, red pandas, rhinoceros, and even komodo dragons have been dipping paws, noses, claws and tails in paint to create their own works of art. This new artistic movement has been christened “Noah’s Art” and to the untutored eye their animalistic efforts compare most favourably with some of the more outlandish examples of modern art that can be seen in some galleries.
Mikki, a 22-year-old African elephant at the Louisville Zoo is one of the leading exponents of the new American school and has learnt how to manipulate a paint brush with her trunk.
Eliose, the talented orangutan, was able to create her masterpiece by holding the brush in her hand, unlike Pinto the pig, who preferred a messier approach – applying the paint to the canvass with his snout and hooves.
An Asian elephant at Niabi Zoo, Illinois, produced a bold mixture of reds and yellows. Zeppo the parrot grasped the brush in his beak to create his distinctive blue pattern.
While the paw prints of a couple of racoons at Hutchison’s Zoo, Kansas, created an attractive pattern of blues, reds and greens.
The artwork of the animals, housed at zoos and aquariums across the US, is all on sale at a three hour auction in Silver Spring, Maryland, next Tuesday.
Jim Maddy, chief executive of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said: “The artwork created by these animals helps to highlight the great animal care and conservation programs of accredited zoos and aquariums.”
He added that creating art is safe for the animals and all the paints used were non-toxic and washable.
The artwork created by these animals helps to highlight the great animal care and conservation programs of accredited zoos and aquariums.
(Article by By Tom Peterkin of the Daily Telegraph)
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