Since humans have been able to paint, they have been painting animals. The oldest known painting is a cave wall painting of a wild pig. That has to mean something: humans love animal art. Throughout history, various civilizations had their art style.
The Ancient Egyptians are famous for their cat paintings. The Renaissance era was filled with artworks of animals wearing formal clothing. Nowadays, we are still obsessed with animal paintings; we are just using more neon colors.
All animal paintings possess a certain beauty. However, a particular appeal for animal lovers is paintings of cute animals, and few animals are cuter than rabbits. What’s not to love about rabbits? They are fluffy, timid, and have big ears. If you are an enthusiastic animal lover, you definitely will love these five cute rabbit paintings.
Lapin Agile Cabaret In Paris France
Cabaret Au Lapin Agile is a house located in Paris that welcomes poets, writers, painters, singers, and comedians to join together for a good time. In 1875, an artist named Andre Gill painted a sign of a rabbit jumping out of a saucepan.
Rabbits are naturally adorable, but rabbits wearing human clothing are even better. In this cute rabbit painting, the rabbit wears a hat and a collar with a bowtie. Wine is enjoyed as a social activity in France more than anywhere else. Since a French artist did this painting, the rabbit is holding a bottle of wine. This fitting as Cabaret Au Lapin Agile was a social hotspot for various artists.
Although this was only meant to be a signboard, we can still admire how the artist depicts the rabbit in such a happy way. This showed that a good time awaited whoever went into Cabaret Au Lapin Agile.
School Rules
A popular favorite for artists is to paint animals wearing formal attire and participating in human activities, like playing cards or attending school. The purpose for a painting depicting this could be humorous or contain a message about human activities or events.
In this painting by William Holbrook Beard, we see a monkey as a teacher, and among the students is a rabbit, cat, fox, dog, badger, pig, and squirrel. They are all dressed as gentlemen, wearing coats, slacks, and shirts.
The artwork has a satirical message; we can see this in the facial expressions on the animal’s faces. For example, there seems to be a conflict between the cat and dog. The fox wears a cunning look on his face. The badger appears guilty of something; the squirrel seems proud while the rabbit and pig are conversing.
Art usually sends a message. Perhaps the message that this painting is sending is about the school system. We see wild animals being taught by another, slightly more intelligent wild animal. But, no matter the true meaning of the painting, we can’t deny that animals dressed as gentlemen are something to admire.
Young Hare
So far, we have seen rabbits dressed to impress, and it has been adorable; however, rabbits wearing nothing but their fur coats is enough to make you smile.
In this painting by German artist Albrecht Dürer, we see a hare in its natural state. This painting is acknowledged as a masterpiece of observational art. The artist used watercolor and bodycolor to achieve this realistic and accurate depiction of a hare.
Despite the challenges of painting the correct texture of the hare’s fur, Dürer still managed to give the animal a lively appearance by creating a warm hue within the picture. All the techniques that Dürer used to create this life-like painting depict an overall peaceful tone. The artwork brings the viewer’s attention to the simple beauty of nature.
California Game
Thomas Hill was an American painter during the 19th century. He is very popular for his landscape paintings of American mountain ranges and lakes. However, in 1874, Hill painted something different from his usual subject.
Animals hunted and killed are known as the game, hence the title of this piece: California Game. In the painting, we see a rabbit and four birds that appear to have been shot by a hunter. They are gathered and placed together under a white rose bush. The dead animals’ bushes indicate that they were in their natural environment when the hunter shot them.
White roses symbolize purity and innocence, much like the helpless rabbit and birds laying under them. The lifeless bodies of small, harmless animals contrast with the vibrant garden they died in. This scene could evoke sympathy from the viewer, especially animal lovers opposed to hunting.
A Lop-Eared Doe Rabbit With Her Young
Lop-eared bunnies are one of the cutest breeds of rabbits. What could beat that? The answer: baby lop-eared rabbits.
John Frederick Herring Snr was an English 19th century painter. Horses and rabbits are the most frequent subjects of his artworks. Herring is a true example of an artist wholly inspired by animals; unlike other artists, he never depicted them in clothing or participating in human activities. Instead, Herring painted them as accurately as he could to capture the natural beauty of wild and domestic animals.
Rabbits are a symbol of fertility. This painting of Herring’s shows a mother rabbit watching over her young in a warm, nurturing way. In the background of the picture, there is a wooden door which could mean that the rabbits belong to a farmer and are domesticated.
This artwork depicts the natural love shown by animals toward their young. The warmth of this painting is enough to make anyone who looks at it feel a sense of appreciation for rabbits.
The Bottom Line
Paintings of rabbits, seemingly plain animals, can say and express a lot. They can have hidden messages or make you feel happier when you look at them. Whether they are wearing a hat or nurturing their young, rabbits remain beautiful subjects for art.
