# Beastly Business Paintings The Tony Taylor Animal Art Promotes Social Change By Cody Turner | Published 2012-07-07 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tony-taylor-animal-art References: [hashtaggallery](http://www.hashtaggallery.com/artists/tony-taylor/) & [tonytaylorart](http://tonytaylorart.com/) There has been a recent craze of [animals as people](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dobel-atelier-animales-endmicos), and artist Tony Taylor has found a way to turn his Animal Headed Businessmen works into a political statement, while still remaining aesthetically pleasing. Toronto artist Tony Taylor grew up in Uxbridge, Ontario, and graduated from the [Ontario College of Art and Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/paste-dental) (OCAD) majoring in drawing and painting. His recent works are compiled of [paintings featuring leaders](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/7-paintings-the-art-of-dining) and corporate representatives, with heads replaced with that of animals. Taylor says he feels that by doing so it “reflects a truer sense to their character.” The paintings have a very minimalist feel to them, with their blank backgrounds and subtle color palette that depict the animals conversing among other businessmen from well-publicized events. His most recent work can be seen at Toronto’s up and coming #Hashtag Gallery. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.8/10 - Popularity: 59% | Activity: 47% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Modern](https://www.trendhunter.com/modern) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Animal-headed Art:** The trend of animal-headed artwork can be leveraged to promote social change and make political statements while remaining aesthetically pleasing. - **Minimalist Art:** Minimalist art, with blank backgrounds and subtle color palettes, can be used to highlight the subjects of the artwork, making it a disruptive innovation opportunity for the art industry. - **Corporate Critique:** Corporate critique through art is an emergent trend that provides opportunities to engage with a broader audience and voice a social message to promote change. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Art:** The art industry can utilize animal-headed art and minimalist styles to bring a fresh perspective to traditional subject matters and increase engagement with a younger demographic. - **Advertising:** Advertising firms can partner with artists to create provocative campaigns that appeal to the age-old human fascination with animals and use them as mascots or brand ambassadors. - **Corporate Social Responsibility:** Corporate entities can collaborate with artists to create thought-provoking campaigns that bring attention to social causes and promote activism as part of their CSR efforts in a way that resonates with their audience. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Artist-Based Residential Museums](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/charles-pachter.md) - [Model-Launched Pet Brands](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tate-taylor.md) - [Boundary-Pushing Art Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/briony-douglas-1.md) - [Art-Focused Hair Salons](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/john-steinberg-and-associates.md) - [Toronto Art Wine Colllabs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-prisoner-wine-co-and-artist-justin-broadbent.md) - [Abstract Toronto Home Shows](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/elte-fine-art.md) - [AI-Generated Topic Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-art-of-trending-1.md) - [Playful Modern Art Shows](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/brent-estabrook-debuts-storytime.md) - [Human Duality-Themed Abstract Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/passive-aggression.md)