Art, Science, and Animals
The relationship between art and science might seem to be distant; however, they might be closer than people think. The connection these topics share is ethics. From Leonardo Da Vinci to the modern artists, the use of lifeform to create art has created a controversial conversation about the role of science in the fine arts. The primary concern that comes from art is ethics because it uses flesh for artwork. Leonardo’s fascination with the anatomy of the human body created some of the most detailed drawings of his time; however, one must wonder where he found the dead bodies to sketch. Damien Hirst, the modern artist from the United Kingdom, displays dead animals in formaldehyde for his art. Miru Kim used live pigs for her art exhibit in a makeshift pen in the Art Basel in Miami. The famous, but unknown, Banksy and his elephant created the issue behind using paint on an animal. Ethics connects art and science, and these artists show how they use or used lifeforms for their artworks; moreover, whether those choices were necessary for artistic expression.
Art and science are more closely related to each other than people might think. For example, the Renaissance period was about revisiting Greek and Roman ideas in a new light. As a more detailed study of medicine became acceptable, more doctors wanted to know how the human body works; however, they needed a way to record their findings visually. That is when an artist would come to the auditorium and sketch the human corpses. Doctors would be surrounded by the dead body on the lower level of the auditorium, while the artists drew the internal organs, muscles, bones, and so forth. It makes sense why Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook contained multiple sketches of the human body (Leonardo Da Vinci’s Notebook). Even though it would be morally wrong to sketch over a dead body in the present, they did not have photography in the Renaissance period, and this was the only way to record information. Thanks to that contribution, according to Tharpe’s editorial of the Walker Percy: Art and Ethics, the essay portion by Michael Pearson mentioned in the text, “Science tells us how we are like other organisms or how we resemble other individuals, but it does not deal with the uniqueness of symbolization” (56). Science made people think realistically; however, art made people feel. Leonardo’s sketches were one of the first recorded encounters that the artist would create a work inspired by a lifeform. However, the main concern for modern times is the issue of using dead and live animals to create art.
Damien Hirst, an artist from the United Kingdom, is famous for his artwork with animals. The controversial issue is that he killed all of his animals for the production of art (Callaway). One of his famous pieces is a 4-meter-long tiger shark in the tank; the formaldehyde-fixed shark is no longer alive. Hirst calls that piece The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living (Callaway). The artist’s point is to show the real version of death and how inevitable it is. The other known piece of Damien Hirst’s is Doorways to the Kingdom of Heaven. The piece represents a cathedral stain glass window all made out of butterflies (Callaway). The piece is a beautiful display; however, at the expense of thousands of butterflies. To repay for the dead insects, Hirst made an installation in an enclosed room full of living butterflies (Barkham). Now, thousands of butterflies are captive in a white, windowless room. The humid room might represent their climate, but the tourist traffic and close quarters are not a suitable space for those insects. According to Caroline Goldstein, from Artnet News website, she counts up how many animals Hirst killed, and the total is 913,450 animals (par. 9). The number should raise concerns about using animals to produce art.
The next artist did not kill her animals for art. Moreover, she provided suitable conditions for them not to get hurt after her exhibition. Miru Kim did a live performance during Art Basel Miami Beach. Her piece I Like Pigs And Pigs Like Me got much-mixed attention. According to Amanda McCorquodale from the Huffington Post website, “Kim spent 104 consecutive hours naked in a makeshift pen with two pigs in Primary Projects’ window” (par. 1). The pigs were rescued from a slaughterhouse and brought for the performance, but a lot of animal rights activists protested that the pigs got sick after the exhibition. Miru Kim told the Huffington Post, “They were definitely already sick at the slaughterhouse because they were coughing when the slaughterhouse worker picked them out. I was there.” (par. 5). Additionally, she made sure that the animals got to be taken as pets or to a farm after the show. Miru Kim shows how animals can be used in the art ethically and therefore, not at the expense of the animals.
Another artist that used a live animal for his art was Banksy. The British street artist with an unknown identity, Banksy usually spends most of his time showing off his skill on the streets where his art cannot be bought. Some officials do get mad at his tagging exercises; moreover, they found something else that got much negative attention. According to Mark Oliver, from The Guardian website, Banksy’s first exhibition in the United States consisted of a painted elephant that blended in a set-up of a living room (par. 1). Animal Services Department (ASD) did permit the artist to use the elephant in his show, but they reported that they regretted their decision. Even though Banksy intended to send a message about the problem of world poverty, mostly the discussion was about the well-being of the elephant. Tai, the elephant, was ordered to be scrubbed down and repainted with child-safe paint (Oliver). The issue could have been handled differently regarding the paint; moreover, the artist could have decided to use proper medium, to begin with, so Tai would not need to go through the stress of having to berepainted. Situations like these should be carefully taken into consideration to ensure that the animal’s health is a priority, and the message is heard without the protests.
Art and science might seem to be the opposites; however, they are more intertwined than ever before. Leonardo da Vinci used his artistic abilities to sketch the corpses that were helpful educationally and medically. The encounter is one of the firsts that questioned how art and science could go together. The artists of modern times are pushing the limits of expression by using animals to do so. Damien Hirst’s idea of killing the animals is not quite popular, and the animal rights activists did not support his formaldehyde and pinned down organisms. Miru Kim provided suitable conditions for her pigs and made sure that they would be well after the show. Lastly, Banksy’s elephant disrupted some waters between the crowds and put the animal through the stress of being repainted. The crucial time in the society is to question whether or not those artists are doing the right thing by using animals in their artwork. Those innocent creatures are vulnerable to harm and poor judgment. If addressed correctly, the artists can continue to express their ideas to the world, while keeping the animals alive, safe and happy.
Works Cited
Barkham, Patrick. “Damien Hirst’s Butterflies: Distressing but Weirdly Uplifting.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 18 Apr. 2012, www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/apr/18/damien-hirst-butterflies-weirdly-uplifting.
Callaway, Ewen. “Flayed, Pickled, Plastinated: Ewen Callaway Discovers Compelling Cross-Currents in Two Very Different Displays of Dead Animals Exhibited Just a Few Kilometers Apart.” Nature, vol. 488, no. 7412, 2012, p. 456. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com.cmsmir.clevelandstatecc.edu/apps/doc/A301776567/AONE?u=tel_a_clscc&sid=AONE&xid=9ff3a02a.
Goldstein, Caroline. “How Many Animals Have Died for Damien Hirst’s Art to Live? We Counted.” Artnet News, Artnet News, 16 Aug. 2017, news.artnet.com/art-world/damien-whats-your-beef-916097.
“Leonardo Da Vinci’s Notebook.” The British Library, The British Library, 20 Jan. 2015, www.bl.uk/collection-items/leonardo-da-vinci-notebook.
McCorquodale, Amanda. “Miru Kim On How Pigs Used In Her Art Basel Project Got Sick.” The Huffington Post, HuffPost News, 6 Jan. 2012, www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/05/miru-kim-pigs-art-basel_n_1187119.html.
Oliver, Mark. “Banksy’s Painted Elephant Is Illegal, Say Officials.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 18 Sept. 2006, www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/sep/18/arts.artsnews.
Tharpe, Jac. Walker Percy: Art and Ethics. University Press of Mississippi, 1980.