This paper studies animalistic motives throughout the history of European art, from prehistory to modern times. The work deals with questions and seeks answers to them: In what way is man connected with animals? What do animals represent to people and what symbolism do they carry throughout history? Why are representations of animals present in art throughout history? Where did animalistic displays come from and how are they manifested today? In this paper, we go through historical periods from the Paleolithic and cave paintings up to modern times and today, and we study animalistic representations especially in the field of painting. We are seeking connection of animalism with religion, beliefs, culture, society and philosophy. The paper provides answers to the above questions, with a multitude of examples that trace the history of art in Europe, from the Paleolithic, through Egyptian painting, Roman and Greek vases, to Gothic, early Christian art, pre-Romanesque and Romanesque. We are talking about Renaissance artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. We follow the Baroque period and come all the way to the modern art of the 19th and 20th centuries whose representatives often used animalistic motives in their works, here we mention artists of all time and their masterpieces such as Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch and Salvador Dali.