Faunas – Morgan Editing https://morganediting.com An editorial blog. Sun, 21 Dec 2025 18:48:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://i0.wp.com/morganediting.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/cropped-1nS2ct-LogoMakr-favicon-3.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Faunas – Morgan Editing https://morganediting.com 32 32 194906956 Why We’re Still Obsessed with Dogs in Art https://morganediting.com/why-were-still-obsessed-with-dogs-in-art/ Mon, 18 Aug 2025 05:21:38 +0000 https://morganediting.com/?p=2385 Framed on a gallery wall or leaned casually on a bookshelf, dog portraits add warmth, nostalgia, and a playful wink. They also tell guests something personal: I love animals. I value companionship. I have good taste, with a hint of humor.

And for those of us who treat our pets like family, dog art feels like a tribute. Classier than another photo on your phone, but just as affectionate.

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Angled portrait of a brown and white dog

Long before they were chasing tennis balls or stealing socks, dogs were wild.

Scientists believe the bond between humans and dogs began over 15,000 years ago, when wolves started hanging around ancient campfires—likely for food scraps.

Over time, a mutual relationship formed: they helped us hunt, guard, and herd, and we gave them warmth, food, and affection.

That friendship grew paws and personality, eventually giving rise to the goofy, loyal, tail-wagging creatures we know today. And as soon as we could paint, sculpt, or sketch, we started putting them in our art.

The OG Dog Portrait Artist

Carl Reichert (1836–1918), an Austrian painter, had a particular gift: capturing dogs with uncanny personalities.

His painting Gundog with Snipe is a perfect example. It shows a hunting dog, alert, noble, almost heroic, standing over a freshly retrieved bird. It’s part action, part portrait, and all charm.

Reichert didn’t just paint dogs, he gave them character. You can practically hear the panting or see the pride in their posture.

His attention to detail, from the glint in the dog’s eye to the texture of the fur, makes his work feel alive—even over a century later.

Other Artists Who Loved Dogs

Reichert wasn’t alone in his canine fascination. British artist Sir Edwin Landseer painted dogs so well that Queen Victoria became a fan.

His famous work Dignity and Impudence couples a stately bloodhound with a mischievous terrier, offering both technical skill and a wink of humor.

Arthur Wardle, another standout, was known for his energetic portrayals of terriers, hounds, and sporting dogs in lush countryside scenes.

These artists were painting personalities that came in the form of pets.

Why Dog Art Still Feels So Right in 2025

You might not live in a country estate or own a hunting dog, but vintage dog paintings like Gundog with Snipe and Portrait of a Doberman still feel weirdly at home in modern spaces. Why? Because dogs symbolize loyalty, home, and unconditional love.

Framed on a gallery wall or leaned casually on a bookshelf, dog portraits add warmth, nostalgia, and a playful wink.

They also tell guests something personal: I love animals. I value companionship. I have good taste, with a hint of humor.

And for those of us who treat our pets like family, dog art feels like a tribute. Classier than another photo on your phone, but just as affectionate.

Art That Wags Its Tail

Whether it’s a regal retriever or a scrappy terrier, dog portraits spark emotion. They remind us of our first pet, or the one we wish we had.

They’re also surprisingly versatile. Do you have minimalist decor? Add a 19th-century hunting scene and suddenly your living room has depth, character, and a story.

Looking for a place to start? Prints of Gundog with Snipe and other Carl Reichert works are widely available online. Antique art sites or digital print shops are goldmines.

In Conclusion: Art Imitates Dog

Dogs have walked alongside us for thousands of years and our love for them shows no signs of slowing down.

From ancient companions to modern-day muses, they continue to inspire, comfort, and decorate our lives, especially when they’re immortalized in art.

So next time you’re scrolling for home decor or a gift for a fellow dog lover, don’t overlook the charm of a well-placed pup portrait. After all, nothing says “home” quite like a dog with a story to tell.✿

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]]> 2385 Whiskers Through Time: The Allure of House Cats in Art https://morganediting.com/whiskers-through-time-the-allure-of-house-cats-in-art/ Sun, 22 Jun 2025 18:21:31 +0000 https://morganediting.com/?p=2245 Revered by ancient Egyptians, feared in the Middle Ages, and adored by poets and painters alike, cats have always balanced the sacred and the mischievous, a duality that makes them irresistible to artists.

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Four cats sitting in a room with a hand petting one of them.

When I think of a cat, I recall the one from Inspector Gadget, owned by Dr. Claw. There’s a cat for everyone. 

The story of the house cat is over 9,000 years old and started with early agricultural societies. Attracted by grain stores and the mice they lured, wildcats crept closer to human settlements, and stayed. 

Over time, this quiet companionship evolved. The African wildcat (Felis lybica), small and solitary by nature, became the affectionate, enigmatic house cat we know today.

Revered by ancient Egyptians, feared in the Middle Ages, and adored by poets and painters alike, cats have always balanced the sacred and the mischievous, a duality that makes them irresistible to artists.

Cats on Canvas: A Muse with Whiskers

Feline muses appear in works from Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical sketches to Japanese ukiyo-e prints.

But few have captured their charm with the tenderness and intimacy of Henriette Ronner-Knip, the 19th-century Dutch-Belgian painter.

Her painting “Hide and Seek” captures feline curiosity: a young cat, half-concealed behind drapery, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

The Legacy of Henriette Ronner-Knip

In the Victorian era, when animals in art were often symbolic or sentimentalized, Ronner-Knip gave them life. Her brushstrokes reveal fur you want to pet and rooms that feel genuinely lived in.

She exhibited widely, won prestigious awards, and was collected by European royalty. Yet her greatest achievement may have been her ability to distill everyday domesticity into something eternal.

Sophie Sperlich: A Contemporary Echo

While Ronner-Knip’s work glows with Victorian charm, Sophie Sperlich’s art feels contemporary and poetic. Her use of delicate lines and muted tones lends a quiet, meditative quality to her cats.

Sperlich’s work doesn’t shout. It purrs. Her cats are observers, drifters, sometimes abstracted.

Together, Ronner-Knip and Sperlich form a kind of visual dialogue across time: one rooted in velvet cushions and oil paint, the other in minimalism and mood.

Why Cat Art Captures Us

For animal lovers, artwork featuring house cats feels like home — familiar, quiet, alive. These paintings celebrate the subtleties: the twitch of a tail, the moment before the pounce, the hush of a nap.

Owning or admiring cat-themed art is more than a statement of affection, it’s an invitation to slow down and witness the elegance in the everyday. These works don’t just depict cats; they honor the rhythm of life shared with them.✿

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]]> 2245 Let’s Talk Horses https://morganediting.com/lets-talk-horses/ Thu, 22 Aug 2024 05:57:14 +0000 https://morganediting.com/?p=1423 The word “horse” comes from the Old English word “hors”. We know it as the domesticated, hoofed mammal portrayed in novels like Black Beauty (1877) and Seabiscuit (1999), painted by numerous artists, including Leonardo da Vinci and Pablo Picasso, and photographed immensely throughout the years. Horses have had many uses since being domesticated (circa 2200 […]

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The word “horse” comes from the Old English word “hors”.

We know it as the domesticated, hoofed mammal portrayed in novels like Black Beauty (1877) and Seabiscuit (1999), painted by numerous artists, including Leonardo da Vinci and Pablo Picasso, and photographed immensely throughout the years.

Horses have had many uses since being domesticated (circa 2200 BC) and bred for transportation, warfare, labor, sports, therapy, and as pets.

They come in various sizes and temperaments. The world’s smallest horse on record, a dwarf miniature from Missouri, USA, named Thumbelina, was 17 inches (43 cm) high. Thumbelina died in 2018.

At the other end of the spectrum was a Shire gelding from Bedfordshire, England, born in 1846, named Sampson (renamed Mammoth). He was the tallest horse at 7 feet (219 cm) high, and the heaviest at 3360 lbs (1524 kg).

Horses are grouped according to their traits and used accordingly. For example, the Akhal-Teke is classified as hot-blooded because of its endurance, speed, and reactive temperament.

There are breeds of horses that have become extinct for two main reasons. One, they have died out. Or, two, they have been integrated into another breed. The Akhal-Teke falls into the second category.

According to the Akhal-Teke Foundation, there are 300 registered purebreds in North America.

side-view-of-golden-stallion-in-the-fields-in-summer
Golden palomino Akhal-Teke stallion

If you’ve ever considered owning a horse, the Akhal-Teke will set you back $8,000 for a foal, and that’s the cost-effective option. After that, prices range from $13,000 to $135,000, increasing with the horse’s age.

You can still appreciate the beauty of the Akhal-Teke at a fraction of the cost, in the form of pictures. Here’s the bonus – they make great gifts for any occasion.✿

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