The Bear

Media: Animation, Digital art, Oil and microcrystalline wax on canvas

Year: 2018

Collection: Crypto Disruption

Size (H x W): 80cm x 140cm (2 ft 7 ins x 4 ft 7 ins)

Size (W x H): 2360 x 1350 pixels

No one is entirely certain how the market symbols of the bull and the bear came into being. It’s clear that the bear came before the bull and it most likely originated with an ancient proverb warning that “it’s not wise to sell the bear’s skin before one has caught the bear.” Bearskin was shortened to bear, and the term was popularised during the world market crash of 1720.

The bull on the other hand appears to have been chosen as a fitting alter ego to the bear around the same time as the 18th century crash. Although some people think the origin could relate to the way the two animals attack with the bear swiping down and the bull thrusting up with its horns, it’s more likely that the term bull originally meant a speculative purchase in the hope that the stock price would rise and it evolved from there.