Thierry Poncelet and the Art of the Dog

Belgian painter, Thierry Poncelet,  has turned his considerable talents to painting dog portraits. Don't laugh- these are not just any doggie images. They are beautiful, formally executed, technically perfect, ancestral portraits with a verve, humor, and tongue-in-cheek,  traditional elegance all their own.

Poncelet has dubbed them " aristochiens" and the classically trained, former art restoration expert and gallery owner has made a name for himself painting them.  You can think of this as a profound social statement, or as a loving tribute to the bond between man and beast, or as a talented painter's cerebral joke. Any way you choose to look at Poncelet's art of the dog, it is a winning concept and his paintings will touch you and make you smile.

Here are a few of my favorites from the artist's website where you can go to view the entire gallery. I have included the original French titles with my rough English translations Check the website for sizes and other details.

Oh yes, and if you want to order " Sit", a delightful book of Poncelet's dog portraits for the dog lovers, history buffs, and just plain folks on your Christmas list, scroll down to the bottom of this post where I have rather crassly included a link to Amazon. com. The book includes seventy portraits with accompanying witty historical comments by author, Bruce McCall.

La Mère et L'enfant-- Mother and Child

La Baronne - The Baroness.

En uniforme de gala--In Dress Uniform

La bonne fée-- The Good Fairy

Madame Molière

 Jeune Homme de Bonne Famille-A Young Man of Good Family

L'Archevêque - The Archbishop

 Order the Book Here

" A magnificent display of heroes, scoundrels, statesmen and moguls from times past. Utterly hilarious and even credible, it draws you back again and again for another look. Where is the next edition!!" --customer review from Amazon.com

 





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