Critical Reflections： Human-Animal Morphological Fusion in Oil Painting

In the past, many artists have used oil painting to express complex ideas, such as the fusion of human and animal forms and the equipment used in creating artwork. Challenges for the artists who take up this metamorphosis are rather high, such as the extent of detail required in the human anatomy to blend human and animal forms seamlessly. Sometimes they use brush movements that indicate the skin, fur, and other body parts merging them harmoniously and convincingly. Ambiguity in light and shade persists in these works, as artists must masterfully use them to depict spatial perception, contrasts, and analogies between human and animal features. Additionally, smooth gradation of colors is also an issue here, and artists have to put in a lot of effort blending the skin tones with animal features so that the overall picture looks harmonized. These technical components enable artists to build visual storylines that make viewers rethink such significations as power, existence, and self-identity. In this context, oil painting is not simply narrative but also symbolic and existential, where the merging of the forms challenges and enriches one’s perception of self.

Anatomical Expression and Morphological Fusion

Anatomical depiction of human and animal figures in oil painting requires a proper understanding and nuance of anatomical structure, perspective, and proportionality, which must be achieved meticulously. Anatomically integrating animal features into the human body is not a trivial affair; one has to blend the two yet retain the framework of the human figure. For example, when drawing from a human arm to a lion’s paw, one has to construct the musculature and skeletal arrangement properly. All this is oriented to guarantee that the audience gets an impression of the fusion as an integrated whole rather than two unrelated forms that have just been joined in a hasty manner. When all these aspects are achieved, the artists then apply the knowledge of human anatomy and build a continuity over these different species, hence producing an artistic and coherent image.

Some of these representations have been subverted by artists such as Francis Bacon, who paint humans in distorted fashions that seem more animal-like, a demarcation that does not clearly separate the two domains. In his works, Bacon explores this transformation, although he does not only speak of a change of skin but of a transformation of psychology as well (Hammer, 2012). In his works, he expresses the sociology of the man as the beast as a way of taking a peek into the nature of human society. The warped figures and forms imply a transformation, not just the joining of two entities but a transformation that takes place from within, a transformation of one’s very beings. Through the form, Bacon reminds or depicts the flexibility to bend and deform the human body so as to incorporate more or less an animal-like element. This turns his work into a study that is far more than anatomy; it becomes an investigation into self, change, and the meaning of the divide between human and animal.

Installation view of the ‘Francis Bacon: Man and Beast’ exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, London (29 January – 17 April 2022) showing Francis Bacon, Three Studies of the Human Body, 1970Private collection.

Oil and acrylic on three canvases. 198 x 147.5 cm (each).

To capture such natural blends, artists have to study human anatomy in detail and incorporate the three-dimensional modeling approach. Through the analysis of human and animal skeletal and muscular systems, an artist is able to imagine how these materials may transform from one figure to the next. It also aids in analyzing how the skeletal system could change for the fusion and consequently keeps the fused image realistic and plausible. Leonardo da Vinci’s limber drawings also offer an example of how artists rely on the observation of human and animal bodies to build smooth transitions (McMenamin, 2021). His work also demonstrates how the application of knowledge of the structure of different species produces a more organic integration since it acknowledges the authenticity of each form. The combination of these forms cannot be so contrasting; instead, the shift from one to another should be smooth and almost unnoticeable, as if it were intended this way.

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In art, anatomical fusion is not simply the process of joining two or more structures together; it is an innovative endeavor. The crucible upon which the believability of the transition or transformation rests with the artist’s conceptual interpretation of the theme that defines the essence of a human and an animal. Combining such components, artists actively work on altering the vision and encourage the spectator to think about what separates human beings from the animal kingdom. There is thus an interaction between the different species, and we are able to explore such themes as transformation, the identity, and the animal within man.

In "The Logic of Sensation", Gilles Deleuze reveals Francis Bacon’s profound understanding of the human-animal relationship, which is often expressed through the unique handling of brushstrokes and distorted forms in his works. Bacon’s brushwork is not merely a technical tool but a means of exploring a “language of sensation” that transcends the boundaries between humans and animals. This language acts directly on the viewer’s senses, drawing them into an instinctual, almost animalistic state of perception rather than mere observation. Bacon’s brushstrokes convey a strong sense of corporeality, seeming to break down and reshape the human form. He often uses rough brushstrokes and blurred boundaries to dismantle the figure, bringing it closer to something wild or non-human. This approach blurs the distinction between human and animal, making his works an exploration of both human and animalistic traits. As Deleuze explains, Bacon does not attempt to depict “animals” or “humans” as isolated entities but uses distorted and transformed brushstrokes to express the process of “becoming animal”—the potential for humans to connect with animals through specific physiological or emotional states.

This “becoming animal” is particularly evident in Bacon’s dynamic, rough brushstrokes, which create twisted muscles, skin, and expressions, evoking a kind of repressed animality. The “fleshiness” of his brushstrokes renders his figures both fragile and powerful, as if struggling to break through boundaries between self and other, human and animal. Through this approach, Bacon’s brushwork challenges us to reconsider the relationship between humans and animals, illustrating that the divide between them is not absolute but can merge on the level of sensation.

Deleuze further argues that Bacon’s art emphasizes sensation rather than representation, which brings the viewer closer to the instinctual experience shared with animals—a direct, non-verbal sense. Thus, brushstrokes become central to his exploration of “animality within humanity,” conveying an experience that is primal and untamed. This method not only helps us understand humanity’s existence as part of the animal world but also highlights emotions and desires that transcend human experience, suggesting a resonance across broader forms of life.

Fragment of a Crucifixion 1950

Oil and cotton wool on canvas 55 x 42 ¾ in. (140 x 108.5 cm)

'Study after Velázquez' 1950

Oil on canvas 78 x 54 in. (198 x 137 cm)

Artist Fairnington excels in the use of fine brushstrokes and layered colors. Every feather, every scale, every muscle line is depicted in minute detail. This finely realistic technique makes the work look like a natural science specimen. Fairnington often simplifies or even removes the background entirely in order to focus the viewer's attention entirely on the animal itself. This treatment allows the image to focus on the form and texture of the animals, as if the creatures are removed from their natural environment and placed in a space of pure scrutiny. This technique allows the viewer to look deeper into the animal details. In addition, Fairnington's work also touches on the human conception of nature and the animal kingdom. Through these works, he seems to question how humans define, collect, and observe animals. His animal paintings are not only replicas of nature, but also reflections on the relationship between humans and animals: humans try to study and record animals in a scientific way, but inevitably with a sense of conquest and control. Through these paintings, Fairnington reveals a contradiction in the study of natural history - both fascination and reverence for nature, and at the same time its classification and control.

Orangutan, oil on canvas on wood, 44.2cm diameter

Treatment of Light, Shadow, and Texture

The treatment of light dark, and texture are very important in oil painting, especially when painting the skin and interweaving it with animal characteristics like fur, scales, or feathers. Whether the contrast between these materials is realistic is a function of the capacity of the artist, which ultimately defines the look of the well-executed work. For human skin, its tenderness and sheer thinness necessitate a more subtle treatment than the one applied to the dense reflections of animal fur. This distinction is important because every texture in a piece of art has its own unique characteristics that must be enshrined in order to make a realistic portrayal. The use of climactic and dramatic painting techniques in the sfumato and chiaroscuro styles, as utilized by artists of the Caravaggio period of the Renaissance, is of tremendous value in reproducing this kind of visual effect. It creates depth and dimension to the drawing, and it is these techniques that allow artists the ability to depict the soft luminescence of skin against the roughness of the coat and the shine of scales (Muraoka, 2024). With these methods, artists are able to control the balance of the light and the darkness, and this further add depth to the painting.

Demo of a Caravaggio Painting

The techniques of pigment application and glazing are among the primary approaches to interact with the light within a picture plane and focus on the realistic rendering of different materials. This practice helps in making variations that closely resemble how light is reflected by the skin as opposed to fur. For example, to overlay warm tones on cool ones, most painters apply a glaze, that is, transparent pigments, on top of opaque; to emulate the skin’s translucent quality, artists must employ thin glazes and reserve the heavy impasto technique for simulating the texture of fur. One of the best examples of this technique is offered by Gerhard Richter. His paintings show how the use of light in the background makes the painting appear more real, making the audience feel like they are inside the painting, which gives depth and texture (Crenshaw, 2018). It is a strategy that allows a smooth integration of the human and animal aspects, thus making the changeover look realistic and credible.

Selective Focus in the Style of Gerhard Richter: An Oil Painting Tutorial

Moreover, the combination of these different qualities, like the skin and the fur or the skin and the scale, adds to the tactility of the piece of art. It not only creates multiple focal points for the viewer but also helps draw the theme, such as transformation and hybridity, back to the audience’s attention. This helps demonstrate the concepts of light and becoming or uncertainty of the form and texture as well as fusion of the two and three shapes, which are usually depicted as preoccupations of the paintings of human-animal relations. Light is used tactfully when it comes to these contrasts, while the shadow plays an essential role in giving proper shape to different elements and adding to the realistic feel. Thus, these aspects are balanced to create a harmonious and active synergy once they are combined to capture the viewer’s attention, and therefore, the depiction of transformation remains informative, insightful, and inspiring. Skin, fur, scales, and feathers are given thus a high level of detailed depiction; they turn into an expression instrument that allows the artist to work out the piece’s semiotic and thematic content and layers.

Oil Painting Close Up Texture Brush Strokes Stock

Modern Influences on Human-Animal Interactions

Human-Animal interactions in the twenty-first century are impacted by modern technology and suffering from global crises, producing innovative progress and moral conundrums. For example, techno culture has developed phenomena that alter conventional humane animal interactions, like information technology resulting in pet electronics, health monitoring devices, and wildlife tracking systems. These technological tools, although useful in tracking the health and well-being of the animals, present so many strong ethical implications about human interference in the animals’ lives (Benis et al., 2023). Such tools make certain changes in the well-being of animals, and at the same time, they affect the distinction between natural interaction and control and even impend on the freedom of animals. Another ethical issue present in this kind of conflict is the conflict between trying to better the quality of life for animals and yet trying to answer questions of how much we should get to interfere with their lives and make changes for them. This ethical dilemma raises further questions on interactions between humans and animals, especially with the advancement in technology (Beausoleil, 2020). It provokes society to ponder the necessity and gain of adopting the alterity of animal welfare, weighing the ethics of increased oppression and scrutiny by pointing out the shift in the nature of the relationship.

The collar-like tracking device, dubbed "KineFox, "was created by a team led by University of Copenhagen biologist Rasmus W. Havvøller in collaboration with scientists from the Technical University of Denmark and the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior in Germany.

At the same time, climate change effects introduce another aspect in humans’ relations with animals, raising calls for embracing sustainability practices. Climate change affects habitats and ecosystems, reducing food sources for animals and products for human consumption, making both vulnerable in ways not previously realized. The displacement of species to be able to adapt to new conditions represents a change in intertwinement of humans and animals as we are faced with new duties and tasks regarding distribution of resources and territories between humans and animals (Uenal et al., 2021). Furthermore, climate change contributes not only to altering animal habitats but also to altering the conditions of living together between people and animals. This transformation requires the person and organizations to seek other alternatives in conserving natural resources and come up with measures of preserving natural habitats and ethical use of the resources (Hanson et al., 2020). Such shifts in the balance of the natural environment compel society to question the social construct of how people treat animals as beings in a shared and fragile ecosystem and therefore require recognition of society’s obligation to care for other living organisms as well as the ecosystems they inhabit.

Besides technological and ecological aspects, urbanization has extended social relations with animals in terms of providing new references for living together in a city. Cities continue to be home to a new mix of animal species that thrive in city environments, thus challenging the traditional concept of wildlife. For instance, raccoons, pigeons, and coyotes have adopted urban environments and thus depict a mutual adaptation process where the two factors of the environment adapt to each other’s spaces and behaviors. The move is an evolution in the human-animal relationship where the wildlife forms of life are accepted as part of the urban setting.

Wildlife in the city

The increase in animal farming and encroachment of people into the ecosystem presents the new dynamics in human-animals interactions. With crowded human settlements comes the demand for space, especially for living purposes, hence the occupation of natural habitats. Such an encroachment can cause fragmentation of wildlife habitats and loss of species synonyms, resulting in low biological diversity (Tarin et al., 2020). Elements of popular culture and mass media significantly play a role in their commodification, making their position in image-based industries as loved and objectified creatures but at the same time capitalist products. For example, animals in advertisements and in social networks may capture attention and people’s love, but at the same time, they are being used for people’s benefit and entertainment, whereas they are presented in restrictive cages (if it is a live show) or as dolls (if it is a picture) (Bersaglio and Margulies, 2021). The above challenges exemplify how urbanization affects the interactions between human beings with other species and, thus, photo morality or showing the indices of sustainable development that cater to human growth while at the same time protecting animals.

With these dynamics, relationships between humans and animals and the effects on identities become revolutionary cultural and social themes. The underlying intersections of technology, ecology, and urban settings not only alter the kinds of interaction that occur but also alter the way people understand themselves as distinct from animals. It raises questions regarding ethical duties and obligations, the concept of cultural animals’ significance, and evidence of conservation and protection. In regard to persons’ relationships with other beings, these animated interactions require people to reassess what it means to be human. The constant interactions that are being made with animals through companion animals, zoos, and engagement in ethical issues erase the line between existence or beings between humans and more beings (Applebaum et al., 2021). The evaluation of the moral role of societies in animal suffering requires people to look at which parts of their identities are connected to the obligations concerning ecosystems.

Such reflections lead to a profound transformation of the configuration of the relationship between humans and non-humans and thus prompt a call to re-reflect on our responsibilities and shared responsibilities when re-considering the morality of respecting life and minimizing human interference with ecosystems. With new interactions becoming available through technology and climate change requiring cooperation in the preservation of the environment, society is left with multiple ethical decisions to make regarding the lives of animals. These dynamics promote the identification of attitudes that need to encourage sustainable practices and attitudes, as well as seeking new ways of living together. Both interactions represent potential for ethical development and awareness in terms of how human beings share complex environments with other living beings and objects (Pelé et al., 2021). Sev has conveyed that this changing position is not just a practical dependency but an essential moral obligation that determines the progression of human-animal interactions.

Summing up, the blending of human and animal form in oil painting is a powerful commentary on the theme of civilization and nature. This practice, founded in the understanding of mastery of not only anatomical detail of the skin but also light, shadow, and even the texture of the coupling, does not only propose a creative and technical question to the artistic practice but also questions the existentialist and symbolisms of it to the viewers. In creating the continuity of the painting, artists use brushstrokes and colors to effect a smooth transition and provoke subject matters like power, identity, and what constitutes identity. Through the intermingling of human and animal features, the creators go beyond the framework of the physical body and include the principles of integration. The time factors that remain pertinent include the geographic factors of urbanization, the technological advances, and the changes in climate, which have also bear their impact on human-animal relationships and added layers of ethical and ecological analyses. These become a transition between different worlds, evoking a philosophical appeal demanding the society redefine our position and place in the economy of existence. The blending of the human figure and the animal figure in oil painting is not just a wonderful display of the arts but a process of introspection as a way to reflect on the nature and beings of life, hence embracing the diverse creatures as one.

References

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Beausoleil, N. J. (2020). I Am a Compassionate Conservation Welfare Scientist: Considering the Theoretical and Practical Differences Between Compassionate Conservation and Conservation Welfare. Animals, 10(2), 257. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020257

Benis, A., Haghi, M., Deserno, T. M., & Tamburis, O. (2023). One Digital Health Intervention for Monitoring Human and Animal Welfare in Smart Cities: Viewpoint and Use Case. JMIR Medical Informatics, 11(1), e43871. https://doi.org/10.2196/43871

Bersaglio, B., & Margulies, J. (2021). Extinctionscapes: Spatializing the commodification of animal lives and afterlives in conservation landscapes. Social & Cultural Geography, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2021.1876910

Crenshaw, M. (2018). Dislocation and Materiality. https://doi.org/10.15123/pub.7885

Hammer, M. (2012). Francis Bacon: Painting after Photography. Art History, 35(2), 354–371. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8365.2011.00890.x

Hanson, J. O., Rhodes, J. R., Butchart, S. H. M., Buchanan, G. M., Rondinini, C., Ficetola, G. F., & Fuller, R. A. (2020). Global conservation of species’ niches. Nature, 580(7802), 232–234. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2138-7

McMenamin, P. (2021). Art and anatomy in the renaissance: are the lessons still relevant today. ANZ Journal of Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1111/ans.17268

Muraoka, A. H. (2024). From Leonardo to Caravaggio: Affective Darkness, the Franciscan Experience and Its Lombard Origins. Arts, 13(2), 68–68. https://doi.org/10.3390/arts13020068

Pelé, M., Georges, J.-Y., Matsuzawa, T., & Sueur, C. (2021). Editorial: Perceptions of Human-Animal Relationships and Their Impacts on Animal Ethics, Law and Research. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.631238

Uenal, F., Sidanius, J., & van der Linden, S. (2021). Social and ecological dominance orientations: Two sides of the same coin? Social and ecological dominance orientations predict decreased support for climate change mitigation policies. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 136843022110109. https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302211010923