台北國立歷史博物館以「相思巴黎－館藏常玉展」為題，於2017 年3 月至7 月展出常玉的畫作，在裸女、花卉、靜物和動物題材中，學者多熱切討論其裸女與花卉的線條與構圖，東方及西方的元素，至於動物主題經常為研究者所忽視。常玉喜歡畫動物，舉凡天空的飛鷹、白鷺、蝴蝶，草原的馬、斑馬、長頸鹿、大象，草叢間的虎、豹，枝幹上的黃鸝、螳螂，地上的走鵑、蛇，水中的牛、魚、蛙、蜻蜓、豆娘等，都是畫面的主角或配角，物種可說豐富極了。只是，能辨識這些物種的藝術相關學者少之又少，因而將走鵑誤認為老鷹，將白鷺誤識為白鶴。更別說是能準確的給予這些動物題材的畫作確切的詮解了。本文將探討常玉有關動物題材的畫作，透過追敍歐洲殖民時期熱衷豢養珍禽異獸於「動物園」的背景，還原畫家常玉所處的時代及自然風潮，為常玉動物題材的畫作找到創作源頭。並推測在法國巴黎長居四十年的常玉，是巴黎動物園的常客。與「動物園」相關的馬戲團，也可以在這兒找到根據。本文認為，常玉的動物主題畫作，是他嘗試開拓出一條巴黎畫派所該有的創作路線，顯出了歐洲殖民時期的最後風華。

San Yu's painting themes are divided into nudes, still life, landscapes and animals. There are over 48 pieces of landscape and animal paintings. Besides a particular perspective of loneliness of San Yu's painting, he painted Chinese objects as well as symbols that populate the Chinese collective consciousness. It is even possible to imagine that his horses, Oriole and Egrets stoked the memory of his childhood. From a new perspective of zoology, this paper analyzes San Yu's paintings. The paper demonstrates that animals are undoubtedly a distinctive subject matter for San Yu's paintings. He painted a great number of animals, such as horses, deers, giraffes, leopards, tigers, road-runners, hawks, to represent primitiveness and freedom in nature. San Yu's animals belong to China and also belong to the zoo. His paintings try to represent the safari of Africa and Nature.