How Art Reflects the Patterns and Behaviors of Wildlife

It appears you’ve pasted content from a website or a webpage, specifically an article from *Hyperallergic* discussing the *Wildlife Photographer of the Year* exhibition hosted by the Natural History Museum in London. This article provides a fascinating intersection between wildlife photography and classical art references, comparing multiple winning photographs from the exhibition with famous pieces of art to highlight the symmetry between wildlife and human creativity.

Let me distill this into an informative article for you.

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### The Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Nature Meets Art in Surprising Ways

London’s Natural History Museum recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of its *Wildlife Photographer of the Year* (WPY) competition. The event, which showcases the best of global wildlife photography, drew more than 59,000 submissions from 117 countries, ultimately spotlighting 18 category winners and featuring 100 hand-picked photographs in its annual exhibition.

But what makes these wildlife photographs truly unique is how they seemingly embody elements of classical art, drawing out natural links between the human artistic tradition and the natural world. From Renaissance paintings to modernist masterpieces, some of these captivating images of the animal kingdom echo humanity’s most revered artistic legacy.

Let’s take a look at some standout moments from the exhibition, along with thoughtful comparisons to timeless works of art.

#### Ingo Arndt’s *The Demolition Squad* Vs Daniele da Volterra’s *David and Goliath*
Ingo Arndt’s winning photograph of worker ants disassembling a beetle carcass highlights the fierceness of survival among smaller creatures. The organized struggle depicted invokes imagery from the biblical tale of David vs. Goliath, notably captured by the 16th-century Mannerist painter Daniele da Volterra. While one presents a hardened battle against a giant, the other reflects the raw power of nature mobilized on a minuscule scale.

#### Shane Gross’s *The Swarm of Life* Vibrates with the Colors of Dale Chihuly
Canadian photojournalist Shane Gross, who won the grand title, photographed a striking image of tadpoles moving through the waters of Vancouver Island. This swirling aquatic formation, resembling spiraled glass structures, naturally evokes the art of Dale Chihuly, known for his glasswork, especially the famous chandelier hanging in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. Nature, with its unfiltered vibrancy and rhythm, harmonizes effortlessly with Chihuly’s human interpretation of movement and color.

#### Alexis Tinker-Tsvalas Captures a Tiny Hero, Calling to Mind the Myth of Sisyphus
A teenage photographer from Germany, Alexis Tinker-Tsvalas, managed to capture an extreme close-up of a springtail, a tiny hexapod contemplating the formidable slime mold it encounters. This comparison bears resemblance to the tale of Sisyphus, the mythical figure condemned to push a boulder endlessly. In this comparison, the springtail appears in a moment of light reflection, capturing the spirit of mankind’s eternal struggle against life’s challenges—but in micro-scale.

#### Hikkadua Liyanage Prasantha Vinod’s Macaque Mother and Baby as a Modern *Pietà*
Sri Lankan photographer Hikkadua Liyanage Prasantha Vinod’s mother and child composition of a toque macaque mother snuggling her young mirrors the sacred relationship of Michelangelo’s *Pietà.* In this instance, the intimate bond between mother macaques echoes not just biological necessity but an emotional and physical closeness, reminiscent of the Virgin Mary holding Christ post-crucifixion — a portrait of love and loss immortalized in marble.

#### Leopards, Seals, and the Grotesque
A striking underwater shot of a leopard seal by photographer Matthew Smith gives pause to the viewer, as the predator looms unsettle. Its expression, observed just under the water’s surface, eerily conjures the twisted, haunting portraits of Francis Bacon. Both arise from raw emotion—one from the depths of Antarctic waters, the other from tortured brushstrokes depicting fear and existential suffering.

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### The Confluence of Art and Nature

What makes the *Wildlife Photographer of the Year* competition even more compelling is its layered conversations between the wildness of nature and the artistic human spirit. When nature is observed with the trained, creative eye of these photographers, it becomes more than documentation—it evolves into art itself. These natural scenes echo the patterns, compositions, and emotions found in art history, proving that creativity transcends species, kingdoms, and even time periods.

*The Wildlife Photographer of the Year* exhibition is open at the Natural History Museum in London through June 2024, offering visitors a powerful reminder of our shared connection—whether it’s through biology, beauty, or art.