When Elephants Paint: The Quest of Two Russian Artists to Save the Elephants of Thailand

by Komar & Melamid, Dave Eggers, Mia Fineman

For centuries elephants in Thailand have been revered as a national symbol, worshiped as living gods and employed as beasts of burden in the nation's thriving timber industry. But when logging was banned in Thailand in 1990, these noble animals fell on hard times. Reduced to performing tricks for tourists by day and illegal heavy labor by night, Thailand's elephants were exhausted, malnourished, and dying in alarming numbers. Hearing of their plight, a pair of unlikely heroes came to the rescue, Wildly eccentric Russian emigre artists Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid devised a brilliant to create the world's first quadruped occupational retraining program-a network of art schools for unemployed elephants. Taking a cue from elephant trainers in a number of American zoos, Komar and Melamid taught the animals to hold brushes in their trunks and apply paint to canvas. And the results were Not only did the elephants' paintings closely resemble the expansive gestural work of such Abstract Expressionist artists as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Franz Kline, but the pachyderm painters also began to develop clearly distinct regional styles-lyrical and expressive in the northern Thai school, subtle and atmospheric in the east, dynamic and angst ridden in the central school. Sanctioned by the World Wildlife Fund, the Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project has been a remarkable success; paintings by some of the most talented elephant artists have been auctioned at Christie's for thousands of dollars, generating funds to provide proper care for the elephants and support for their trainers. When Elephants Paint follows Komar and Melamid and their eclectic entourage through Thailand's lush jungles and steaming cities, describing the odd encounters and creative cajoling that helped turn this seemingly whimsical idea into a concrete, beneficial reality. Illustrated with more than 100 photographs, including actual elephant paintings, this riotously funny and provocative book offers a valuable lesson in wildlife conservation and startling revelations about the nature of art itself.

Genres: Animals

120 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2000

Reviews

[Scott Benowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The genre of drawings and paintings which have been created by "artists other than human" dates back to the mid 1950's when a famous zoologist taught a chimpanzee named Congo how to draw and paint. Congo later lived in the London Zoo in the U.K. In the 1960's, zookeepers in a number of different countries had noticed that animals which were kept in captivity seemed to be getting quite bored, their bodies and their minds had evolved for living in forests, jungles, swamps and deserts throughout the world, so to alleviate the boredom which many animals which were kept in zoos seemed to be experiencing, some zoo keepers taught zoo animals how to paint- and thus the birth of the genre of art which is referred to as "artists other than human".
As the title implies, this book is about a group of elephants in Thailand who have been taught to paint. The owners of the elephants place paintbrushes in the trunks of the elephants, and the elephants proceed to create works of modern art.
The elephants are very well treated, most of the elephants in the facility which this book is about have been rescued from various situations. The owners of this facility have a lot of respect for the animals, the elephants are well fed, they receive veterinary care from very knowledgeable veterinarians, and the animals are given adequate space for them to roam within the confines that they are house in. The owners of the facility sell the paintings which the elephants paint to tourists, and the proceeds from the sales are used for the care of the elephants.
In addition to color photos of the paintings which have been painted by elephants, this book also describes the process by which the elephants who are housed in this facility in Thailand were rescued, the book describes how the people who rescued these elephants are trying to raise awareness about the need to educate people about respecting animals throughout Asia.
If you enjoy novelty art, or if you enjoy elephants then you will enjoy this book.

[else fine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drunken Russians explaining art theory to elephants, with an introduction by a bemused Dave Eggers. There are lots of photos of the resulting shenanigans - and the proceeds helped elephant rescue efforts. There's just no way to lose with this book.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a visual and emotional ride. I want so badly to visit the Thai elephants!

[Mychelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am the creative director for this organization and it has my heart.