Art history brims with images of pain and suffering that transcend the species divide. Consider Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, created in 1937 to protest the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War. Its animals–a bull, a bird, and the prominent horse in the middle of the painting–are integral to the work’s meaning. In fact, it may be argued that the picture tells the story of the Nazi bombing of the Basque village from the horse’s point of view.

Northwestern University art historian Stephen Eisenman‘s forthcoming book The Cry of Nature examines Guernica along with many other artworks from the last 300 years to tell the story of artists’ engagement with and empathy for animals.

Join Eisenman for a guided talk of that history.

The annual Richard Gray Visual Art Series recognizes a significant gift from founding CHF board member and distinguished art dealer Richard Gray.
Additional support is provided by the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit http://chicagohumanities.org/events/2013/animal/the-cry-of-nature-richard-gray-visual-art-series or call (312) 494-9509.