The works of this period, also called modern style, were created in the time between 1890 and 1910 (“Fin de siecle“), they are characterized among other elements by decorative curves and floral ornaments. The Art nouveau answers the industrialization and its machine-made mass products by recalling the arts and craft tradition that is supposed to bring beauty and joy into people's everyday lives.
Animal representations are among the oldest motifs of human painting (as we find them in prehistoric cave painting) as well as of fine art.They inform us about the relation between man and animal in their time. However, pure animal images, where animals are not only symbolical attributes of the persons depicted, are a rather young development. In ancient times and in the Middle ages animals referred mostly to certain qualities of the depicted persons or they symbolized gods. In the Renaissance perception and representation of animals changed. A first high point of the representation of animals was the Dutch animal genre painting of the 17th century. In modern times it was the expressionist Franz Marc who created a great number of animal pictures.