Apostolos Chantzaras Owl

Apostolos Chantzaras continues to develop his own visual and entertaining world, without fear for bold line, form and saturated color. Greek-born Chantzaras first studied painting under Chronis Botsoglou at the Athens School of Fine Arts and then continued studies in Photography and Fresco. He was nominated for the IKY scholarship in 2000–3 and studied painting at the Université Paris VIII (2004–5). Influenced by working beside his father, Eleftherios Chantzaras, a renowned Byzantine painter and iconographer are also quite relevant in his style and technique. His extraordinary means of expression reveal influences from the shadow puppet show, combining a rich legacy of symbols related to Greece and that part of the world - The sun, the cross, the fish, the church, the simple islanders, all come together in a unique and perceptible artistic amalgam. Chantzaras’ lyrical work has been featured on the cover of several published novels including Olga or Nothing by Lito Pitiris, Kedros Publishing (2013), Imaginary Adventure by Alexandros Kotzias, Kedros Publishing (2012) and Glass Industry by Menis Koumantareas, published by Vima Newspaper (2011). In 2008, Chantzaras produced the collector stamp series “Greek Traditional Products” for the national Greek Post (ELTA). In 2013, Chantzaras was featured in Florence, Italy in conjunction with the Venice Biennale.

Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.

Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.

The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.

Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.

Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.

Animal paintings depict the beauty and power of nature in an elegant way that can complement any room. Interacting with animals has long captured the imagination and has been interpreted in diverse artistic media.

Some of the oldest works of art have included animals, such as a cave painting found in Indonesia dating back more than 45,500 years that shows a wild pig in red ocher pigment. Animals have continued to appear in every era and style of art, from realism to Pop art and everything in between.

Some paintings portray animals in their natural habitat, highlighting the majesty of wild creatures roaming the plains, forests and jungles. These paintings often feature deer, tigers, wild mustangs and other wildlife. Others focus on domestic animals such as dogs — pay a visit to the Museum of the Dog if you don’t believe us — as well as cats and how they interact with the world and their owners.

Picking the right animal painting for a room — as well as knowing how to arrange your new wall art — can take time. But, in the end, it will tastefully reflect your interests and passions. While an expansive landscape painting helps open up a small space, hanging a horse painting in a den shows a love for equine culture and can invite interesting conversation.

There is animal art to fit every collection on 1stDibs. Explore a wide selection of animal paintings and animal prints in a range of styles and designs to match any home or office.