In this post I pondered whether dolphins blowing bubble rings were a form of art.  After all they serve no purpose except aesthetic ones – the dolphins are having fun and stare at them.  So now we have this video of an elephant painting a self portrait.

Whether methodically trained to do this or not, how is it different than a person painting by plan?  If you are trained to paint faux marble, or you paint by numbers, or you watch a show and follow along.  What if you’re trained in a style?  At what point does this trained mimicry become art, and when is it not?  Is this elephant making art?  Or is it just trained obedience, like a dog playing fetch?   

Related posts:

1. Do animals make art?
2. Conan O’Brien’s Portrait Made From Cheetos