Senior Art Exhibition Explores Relationship Between Man and Animal

Senior Art Exhibition Explores Relationship Between Man and Animal

Senior art major Lori Hart grew up in the countryside of Jonesville, South Carolina, and has raised animals since she was a child. As she began to shop during a trip to the grocery store one day, she started to wonder about more than checking off her items.

She thought about the relationship between consumers and their goods and, she says, about a time when their connection was not so blurred.

“Where do your plastic-packaged slices of bacon come from? What is the source of those pre-cut, perfect squares of yellow cheese, or that tidy crate of clean eggs?” she reflects in her artist statement. “Many know the answers to these questions, but do not possess an appreciation for the animals that provided these substances.”

Hart’s personal experience with animal husbandry and farm life is part of the inspiration for her senior art exhibition now on display virtually in the Elizabeth Stone Harper Gallery at PC. The show is being presented in an online viewing format due to recent events.

Hart aims to create pieces that invite viewers to ponder the essential relationship between man and animal.

“The animals in my pieces are depicted in reverence and appreciation for their individual purposes,” she wrote. “I seek to instill appreciation and humble admiration for animals based on their functions, whether it be for companionship, food or other commodities.

“Every trembling, rippling muscle that bulges beneath a sleek coat deserves adoration. The arch and twist of every horn, the bodies decorated with feathers, the twinkling of eyes, and the delicate whiskers demand recognition and respect.”

Her preferred media are charcoal and Conte on paper and canvas, but she enjoys using oil and acrylic paint, as well.

Hart is anticipating graduating in May with a Bachelor of Arts in fine arts with a minor in psychology. She aims to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in visual arts, with hopes of one day becoming an art professor at a university.