Cattle; More Than Meat: Art

The earliest form of art representing cows and other livestock appeared on rock art motifs. Not surprisingly, these drawings originated around the time of the Mesolithic period sometimes simply regarded as the transitional period between Paleolithic hunting and foraging to the farming, Neolithic period. These drawings of bison and later, cattle, appeared all around the world ranging from Australia to North Africa. These “cave paintings” changed continuously reflecting environmental changes including prey availability within these regions due to extinction or natural inhabitants. As time progressed, more and more rock art motifs represented the introduction of domestic animals, including but not limited to cattle. Being so that the popular subjects of hunters, herdsmen, and breeders during this time period were animals, the depictions found in Africa were teeming of fauna, rivers, lakes, the plains with roaming cattle, and even the Savannah and its inhabitants.

Cows and Horses were some of the major resources obtained via hunting in the Mesolithic period. The "cave paintings" found during this time period reflected cattle and other domestic species being hunted.

This representation of the relation between humans and cattle between 9,000-8000 and 3000 BCE was found in the Laas Gaal (Geel) cave and rock shelters in Somaliland, Africa.

A more modern representation of cows, the "Cow Parade" is the single largest public art event in the world ranging over 50 cities worldwide since 1999. It is estimated that over 100 million people came from around the world to witness the famous cows displayed throughout the host city of choosing, and plenty of local artists from around the world participated in painting and "decorating:, if you will, the plaster cow sculptures that start out blank. However, artists are not limited to painters, but also includes architects, designers like Kate Spade, celebrity artists like Radiohead, and even movie directors like David Lynch. However, people may wonder why the corporation has chosen cattle as an initial medium. The creators chose cows simply because they are "universally loved animals" and represent different things to different people around the world ranging from being a sacred animal to even a source of prosperity. As the creators put it, "She simply makes everyone smile". They also felt that the three shapes offered by the cow (standing, grazing, and reclining) offered "subtle, yet interesting angles and curves" that created unique challenges to the work of art for the artists, hence contributing to the fact that worldwide, no two are alike!
Not only do they offer a grand site for the public to see, but this particular art exhibition has risen over $20 million for non-profit organizations worldwide via traditional art auctions where these cow sculptures were sold. Some of the buyers are well known individuals such as Oprah Winfrey and Elton John.
Below is the video of the creative process of Sadie Rapp meanwhile designing and creating Sprinkles, one of the many cow exhibits that were displayed.