Fish Imagery In Art Research Articles

Fish Imagery in Art 82: Jonah and the Fish

The Prophet Jonah’s story, as told in the Bible and the Koran, has been illustrated many times, especially his being swallowed by a whale,a fish or some mythical sea monster. Inasmuch as the historical texts themselves do not agree as to the taxon involved and provide nodescriptive information except that the creature was marine and of large size, zoologists, cryptozoologists, and art historians seem to havebeen limited to commenting on possible sources of various renditions.This painting is slightly less than 48cm wide and is an Islamic miniature. It was painted in Persia ca. 1400. It is one of many paintingsmade by unnamed artists to illustrate some copies of Jami‘ al-Tawarikh(or ‘World History’), a classic work that includes episodes fromthe Bible, Koran, and life of Buddha. A translation of the texts on Jonah’s arms reads: ‘The disk of the sun entered into darkness’ on hisleft arm and ‘Jonah entered the mouth of the fish’ on his right; the former, which was taken from the Gulistan

Fish imagery in art 80: Raisho's Cornetfish

Fish imagery in art 80: Raisho's Cornetfish

Fish imagery in art 79: Fish Train by Hylton Mann

Fish imagery in art 79: Fish Train by Hylton Mann

Fish imagery in art 76: linocut of coelacanths and humans by Hylton Mann

Fish imagery in art 76: linocut of coelacanths and humans by Hylton Mann

Fish imagery in art 70: Polynesian Maori carving of the Maui myth

Fish imagery in art 70: Polynesian Maori carving of the Maui myth

Fish imagery in art 69: Japanese NetsukeCoiled fish

Fish imagery in art 69: Japanese NetsukeCoiled fish

Fish imagery in art 68: Brown'sEve with Fish and Snake

Fish imagery in art 68: Brown'sEve with Fish and Snake

Fish imagery in art 69: Japanese NetsukeCoiled fish

Fish imagery in art 69: Japanese NetsukeCoiled fish

Fish imagery in art 70: Polynesian Maori carving of the Maui myth

Fish imagery in art 70: Polynesian Maori carving of the Maui myth

Fish imagery in art 68: Brown'sEve with Fish and Snake

Fish imagery in art 68: Brown'sEve with Fish and Snake

Fish imagery in art 62: Chase'sfish and still life

Fish imagery in art 62: Chase'sfish and still life

Fish imagery in art 61: Troll'sDance of the fish charmers

Fish imagery in art 61: Troll'sDance of the fish charmers

Fish imagery in art 60: Grave's Sea, fish, and constellation

Fish imagery in art 60: Grave's Sea, fish, and constellation

Fish imagery in art 56: Appel's Fish among Flowers

Fish imagery in art 56: Appel's Fish among Flowers

Fish imagery in art 49: hardwood carvings of catfish from Zaire

Fish imagery in art 49: hardwood carvings of catfish from Zaire

Fish imagery in art 51: Egyptian glass fish

Fish imagery in art 51: Egyptian glass fish

Fish imagery in art 50: Frederick's Night and Day Foundation

Fish imagery in art 50: Frederick's Night and Day Foundation

Fish imagery in art 46: the Pictish standing stone at Glamis

Fish imagery in art 46: the Pictish standing stone at Glamis

Fish imagery in art 45: Buffalo rib carving of a cod by Jos Nell

Jos Nell (born 1935) spent his early childhood in Keetmanshoop near the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and on a farm near Etosha Pan in Namibia where he developed a strong empathy for and knowledge of wild game. He had an early fascination with the natural shapes and textures of wood and bone, and a desire to release the hidden massages in organic debris. He received his early art training at the Department of Fine Art at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, where he now holds the position of Associate Professor and teaches the theory and practise of sculpture. He works in bronze, soapstone, pumice stone, volcanic tuff, sandstone, limestone and wonderstone (a form of unlayered slate), but prefers sculpting in organic material such as wood, bone or teeth. He mainly uses bone from wild game that occurs in the Eastern Cape, such as kudu, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, giraffe, elephant, eland and buffalo, but also uses the teeth and bones of marine mammals including killer whales and sperm whales. The intricate carvings by the Inuit of Arctic wild animals in bone, teeth and ivory have been a major influence on his work. He has also been inspired by Japanese netsuke, prehistoric and early Chinese bone sculptures and Oceanic and pre-Columbian bone and stone carvings. Jos Nell often uses buffalo ribs as they are hard and have a fine texture and he can therefore depict fine detail in his work. The shape of a particular bone determines the choice of fish or other animal that he sculpts as he tries to modify rather than destroy the original form of the bone when he produces the sculpture. After the carving has been completed the bone is rubbed with etching ink to enhance the detail. Buffalo ribs are unusually wide and are particularly suited for carvings of fishes.

Fish imagery in art 41: Ormea'sstill life with fish

Fish imagery in art 41: Ormea'sstill life with fish