According to an analysis of hundreds of drawings made by five female orangutans at Tama Zoological Park in Japan, these primates can create art that reflects their personality and moods.
The five individuals were given drawing materials and together they created nearly 1,500 drawings between 2006 and 2016. 656 works of art were created by a particularly prolific female named Molly, whose creations stood out in addition to being more complex than the othersIndividual artistic preferences were seen in the colours used by each orangutan, as well as in the shapes they chose to draw and the size of the canvas space. For example, Molly’s drawings were less contrasty than those of the other animals as she pressed her crayons more gently against the canvas.
At the same time, Molly’s creations appeared more saturated in both colours and shapes. These were followed by the drawings drawn by Yuki. Kiki also distinguished herself by using only one colour and pressing down hard on the pencil.
Researchers also noted changes in Molly’s artwork as the seasons changed. In spring, for example, she tended to use purple as her main colour, while green became more prominent in summer and winter. Red was used for drawings when another female was giving birth.
