Paper, Paint, and Art Supplies

This Web site is dedicated to providing reliable and up-to-date information about various art supplies and materials. Of special interest to this site are the lines between fine art and craft. Also, as the title suggests, this page addresses such topics as unicorn art and artists.

A unicorn is a mythological creature which has resurfaced in many different forms as well as many different areas. The oldest depictions of single-horned creatures are from the Indus Valley Civilization. Of course, it is hard to tell if these animals are actually regular bulls in profile.

In Ancient Greece, the creature was not part of mythology. Rather, it shows up in writings of natural history. They described unicorns as wild asses with horns that measured a cubit and a half in length. The animals were said to be white, red, and black. According to these writings, the unicorn lived in India. For them, India was a marvelous and very far away place.

Unicorn art of the medieval time period was influenced by these understandings. Their imagery and descriptions were commonly included in bestiaries. Also known as a Bestiarum vocabulum, a bestiary was an illustrated compendium of animals which grew in popularity during this time period.

These collections often included moral lessons. This was due to the fact that the world was viewed as a creation of the Christian God. For that reason, all matter within it was expected to have a special meaning.

A major precursor to the bestiary was the Physiologus. This was a text that was either written or compiled in Greek language, in Alexandria, Egypt. It included an allegory of the unicorn. This allegory described how the creature only permits itself to be trapped by a pure maiden. The maiden is represented by the Virgin Mary. The story symbolizes the Incarnation of Christ.

This of course led to a lot of religious unicorn art during the Middle Ages. The symbol is commonly found on heraldry from the fifteenth century onward.

Today, the unicorn in art can be a difficult symbol with which to work. This is because it is commonly associated with fantasy art. While many fantasy artists have incredible technical skill, it is not considered part of Western canon, or fine art. The conceptual elements of such work are usually seen as naïve and escapist.

For this reason, many artists enjoy exploring the subject matter in an ironic manner. It is an excellent target for kitsch- or camp-themed works.

The line between arts and crafts is also a realm for the debate of creative merit. Still, arts and crafts supplies are often one and the same. Please browse the rest of this site to learn more about different art supplies for drawing and painting as well as for sculpture.

UnicornArt.com is dedicated to supplying the latest information related to art and art supplies in an unbiased manner. We have even included a Frequently Asked Questions section to address some of the top inquiries our visitors have.

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