Artwork
The Creation of the Animals
The Creation of the Animals is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Venetian 16th Century. It dates from 1550 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The Creation of the Animals is a woodcut print made from four blocks on laid paper, depicting a complex scene with a central figure surrounded by various animals and landscape elements.
Subject & Meaning
The print shows a robed figure, likely representing God, creating a diverse array of living creatures, including birds, fish, and land animals, amidst a detailed landscape with trees, rocks, and buildings.
Technique & Style
The work is characterized by its dense composition and intricate details, such as a peacock and a snail, achieved through the woodcut technique, which involves carving designs into wooden blocks to produce the printed image.
Artist & collection
Artist
A 16th-century Venetian who worked in bronze medallions. One turns a monk's portrait into a small story, the robes carefully draped; another, Justice and Peace, sets a balanced scale against a grinning composite head…
- The Creation
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Vision of Ezekiel
Allegory of Life
Landscape with a Milkmaid
The Apocalypse: Babylon the Harlot, Seated on the Seven-headed Beast
The Last Judgment
Christ Carried to Heaven by Angels
Christ Tells His Disciples of the Last Judgment
The Mocking Children Cursed by Elijah and Eaten by a She-Bear
The Death of Procris
The Creation of Eve