The Truth About (Artistic) Cats & Dogs

The Truth About (Artistic) Cats & Dogs

With all the rain we’ve been getting lately, I planned a decidedly un-horsey Saturday while my barn dried out from the monsoon.  Most of the day was spent with me cleaning my house like a crazy person.  If you’re a South Park fan, do you remember that episode where Butters’ mom finds out his dad is gay, and goes on a psychotic cleaning spree around the house?  “Cleeeeean!  Clean.  Everything must be cleeeeeeeeean.”  That was pretty much me, only less psychosis.

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In the middle of all that though, Tim and I made a day trip to the Blanton Art Museum to see an exhibit I’ve been dying to go to.

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I don’t know about you, but my favorite part of any art museum minus the major classics is stumbling upon an unexpected painting of a horse or dog.  This exhibit took the hunting out for me, and had a really cool collection of cat and dog pieces.  It started with your standard ancient fare of pottery and hieroglyphics.

I call this "Pottery squishes fat dog"
I call this “Pottery squishes fat dog”

Then they had a large room devoted to mostly hunting works.  I liked this room, because there were lots of Springer Spaniels featured and the horse or two snuck in.

Good pony
Good pony
It's Smelly!
It’s Smelly!

They also had some neat old books with dogs.

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The rest of the exhibit was devoted to purely companion animals.  I didn’t take a picture, but there were several portraits of aristocrats posed with small yappy type dogs.  Those made me laugh, because most of the small dogs has this “I’m about to snarl at you” expression.  Think the typical Cesar Milan episode where there’s a territorial Chihuahua.

This was neat.  From Paris after one of the first national dog shows and the inscription asked people to be kind to the needy
This was neat. From Paris after one of the first national dog shows and the inscription asked people to be kind to the needy

In the kid’s room, they had this “feelings of a dog” cartoon blown up.  I’ve seen it on the internet before, but snapped a picture since it was the only Boston Terrier representation in the exhibit.  My BT has been every one of these at one time or another.

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Towards the end, there was one photo of a woman and her beloved Springer Spaniel.  The plaque read something about how “people are naturally drawn to dogs that look like them.”  I’m not sure Eliot and I look at all alike, but this could have easily been a picture of me and my springy spaniel if I was alive in that era.

My 19th century doppleganger
My 19th century doppleganger

It was a pretty cool exhibit, and I’m glad we finally got out to see it on the final weekend.  Oh yeah, there were cats too… but they were you know… cats 😉

17 thoughts on “The Truth About (Artistic) Cats & Dogs

  1. The comment about the “cool old book” in reference to what I would refer to as a “priceless medieval manuscript” made me LOL!!! Cool exhibit though, we’ll have to go visit!

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