Lady with an Ermine – by Leonardo Da Vinci

Lady with an Ermine is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, from around 1489-1490. That stunning picture is 40.3 cm wide and 54.8 cm high, oil on walnut board. Unfortunately, the original background has been overlaid probably in the 17th c. The subject of the portrait is identified as Cecilia Gallerani, and was probably painted at … Read more

William Wegman

William Wegman (born December 2nd, 1943) is an American artist best known for creating series of compositions involving dogs, primarily his own Weimaraners in various costumes and poses. Wegman has been making portraits and videos of his beloved Weimaraner dogs for more than 40 years and released a new career retrospective book in 2017 called, “William Wegman: Being Human ”. In this entirely new volume, renowned … Read more

The origin of the word animal

Latin anima means “breath” or “soul,” and animalis, the adjective that comes from it, means “having breath or soul.” An animal such as a cat or dog can be seen to breathe. Plants breathe too, by taking in certain gases from the atmosphere and releasing others. However, this process cannot be observed by the naked eye. So the noun animal, which comes from animalis, was … Read more