Animals and Art

I realize that Emily Follin already touched on this subject a bit, but I wanted to discuss animal art as my underground art form of the week. That being said, this is not really a response to Emily, so much as it is an add-on.

There are a couple animals who create art--and not just because it is instinctual or because they need a home. Elephants are handed paintbrushes and use their trunks to paint actual pictures on paper. They do this for no other reason than to create a painting. You're probably familiar with this if you read Emily's post. The paintings that the elephants create are exhibited in some places.

Emily mentioned in her post that, "Elephants have a much more complicated brain and are much closer to humans mentally." On that note, there is another animal that creates art that is even closer mentally to humans than elephants are. What is this artistic creature? The gorilla. There have been many studies done on gorillas and their ability to learn and do tasks that were once thought to too complex for any lifeforms but humans. Scientists are teaching them sign language, for instance, and communicating with them. They are also studying the gorillas' ability to create art. Like the elephant, the gorilla is handed a paintbrush and paper and they create pictures.

While the paintings animals are creating are nowhere near Picasso level right now, it is possible that they might get there. My question to you is this: If animals were able to create art that is as complex as a human's, do they deserve a place in our museums?