I had no idea about my dog-loving tendencies until we adopted Oberon nearly ten years ago. But Obie opened up something in my heart and now every time I see a dog walk by, I want to learn everything about them—their names, their preferences, their daily habits.It is an obsession. Sometimes it feels a little out of control, like I’m the only person who can’t stop fixating on dogs.
Thomas W. Laqueur’s book The Dog’s Gaze: A Visual History offers a reminder that for as long as modern human beings have existed, we have had a special place in our hearts for dogs.
Gaze is an illustrated art history book that tracks the history of dogs in art. Sometimes they’re off to the side in a street scene, begging for scraps. Frequently, they’re in the laps of lords and ladies in portraits. Often, they’re pointing their eyes at the focal point of the painting, a gentle cue from an artist who understands that humans are attuned to the interests of dogs as much as they are attuned to ours.
If you’re not a dog person, this book won’t convert you. But if, like me, you spend entirely too much time looking at, thinking about, and trying to understand dogs, this book will remind you that you’re not at all alone. For as long as we have had rooms, there have been dogs there to help us populate them. And for as long as we have looked admiringly at dogs, they have looked back at us.
Leave a Reply