# New book traces dog’s gaze in art across centuries 2026-08-09T03:57:06+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Thomas W Laqueur's 'The Dog's Gaze: A Visual History' examines 250 paintings spanning the Renaissance to the 20th century, arguing that the dog's gaze in art serves as a companion, witness, and moral compass for humans. The earliest evidence of dog-human companionship dates back 26,000 years to pawprints in France's Chauvet cave, the book notes. Laqueur extends Adam Smith's theory of moral bonds to suggest dogs act as they do because they feel the same way humans do. The book claims the dog's gaze fulfills the human need to have someone bear witness to our lives, though it acknowledges that art has never depicted human brutality toward dogs. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Tags: art history, dogs, human-animal bond, Renaissance art, The Dog's Gaze, Thomas Laqueur Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/new-book-traces-dogs-gaze-in-art-across-centuries/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/new-book-traces-dogs-gaze-in-art-across-centuries/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.