Summit at Iris Glen 

Julie Bell painted "Summit at Iris Glen" sometime after 1958. It depicts a gathering of dogs, adorned in what appear to be ceremonial garments, set within a mystical glen. Bell has a background as a fantasy illustrator, and in this image we can see the creation of a fantasy world with its own social structure, laws, and traditions. Are the canines of Iris Glen the guardians of some magical space, or perhaps the representatives of different clans, come together to commune? The work's allegorical meaning may be illuminated through a deeper understanding of the fantasy genre, but also the symbolic role that the dog occupies in the human imagination. We can examine this in different cultural contexts, through the study of myth, folklore, and popular culture. How has the role of dogs in the artwork changed over time?