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Art isn't easy

Chris Ofili famously uses elephant dung in some of his artworks. Here's a pachyderm who uses far more conventional materials. And his subject? Well, as the pre-Socratic philosopher Xenophones realised, if horses had gods they would be in the image and likeness of horses. And if elephants could draw...



It's after noon, so this must be genuine. Right?
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Heresiarch said…
Well obviously it's a trick, but how's it done? Here's my theory. The elephant was originally trained to trace over a previously-existing drawing of an elephant holding a flower. Once the succession of brush-strokes was hard-wired into its brain the drawing was taken away and replaced by a blank canvas. But the elephant continues to replicate the original pattern.

It's a remarkable example of training, and the elephant's ability to learn, not to mention its dexterity with the trunk. But it ain't art.

If you watch closely, there are a couple of continuity breaks in the video. I wonder how long they lasted, and what was going on in the meantime.
1 April 2008 at 17:54
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