| TAMSIN PICKERAL AUTHOR The Horse: 30,000 Years of the Horse in Art"The author recounts this story in her stunningly illustrated, wide roaming, and often revelatory book." The Guardian, 'Book of the Week,' December 9, 2006
I have always loved horses, all animals in fact, and so writing about animals in art seemed a logical step for me. That said, the idea for The Horse: 30,000 Years of the Horse in Art came to me a good many years ago, back in 1996 when I saw my horses through a rain slashed window trudging, heads bowed to the wind and rain, towards shelter. They were silhouetted against a sheer wall of rock, part of the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming, USA and in that instant, to me, they had the appearance of the pre-historic horses of Lascaux.I began my research shortly afterwards, focusing on the history of horse cultures and the emergence of equine images over time, and combined this with studying the significance of the horse on the development of human cultures and societies. As humans cultivated a relationship with the horse, and eventually domesticated it, they also began to selectively breed specific types for specific jobs. This, alongside environmental factors, gave rise in essence to the development of the different breeds, and these again can be identified through the many images of horses through the centuries.It was my intention to portray the pivatol role the horse has played to human evolution and geographic expansion through the book, while keeping it a work of, and for, sheer pleasure. To me, The Horse: 30,000 Years of the Horse in Art is a celebration of one of our most magnificent creatures."It may look as though it belongs on the coffee table, but it is in fact a work of considerable scholarship." The Telegraph, January 6, 2007Signed copies of this book are available direct through me, or it can be purchased on amazon or in good book shops.
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