Bears of the World
Monte Dolack
31" x 25"
2006
This poster was commissioned by the Bear Trust International
• Also available in an unsigned poster & note card.
Visiting with the Ancestors
By Monte Dolack
September 20, 2006
In the year 2000 at a time which coincided with my fiftieth birthday I received permission from the French Ministry of Culture to visit the Lascaux caves and view some of the oldest and the most celebrated Paleolithic paintings in the world. I had been informed that a limited number of official visits were granted each year and that this included scholars and artists. A visit to the caves represented an important personal quest to go back in time to the beginning of painting.
My work had been influenced by ancient art, myth and cultural symbols prior to the visit but afterward the influence was far more pronounced and found it’s way into many recent and current paintings including Bear’s of the World, created for Bear Trust International and published as a fundraising and awareness poster.
The painting is rich in visual information, including a world map providing a backdrop for the powerful central image of a mythic cave bear. Each of the world’s eight bear species is portrayed, along with symbols and pictographs buried beneath layers of translucent paint that lend a sense of texture and unity. Besides being decorative and informational, I tried to make a painting with a visual dynamic that would be modern, historic and mythic.
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