These paintings (Oil on Linen) of monkeys became quite a hit in London. Monkeys generaly imply some sort of social satire and I belive thats why people took to these. I certainly don’t think the work would have been coined as contemporary art if the artiest decided to draw a bunch of elephants in the same way. Personally, I think monkeys are a reflection for humans animalism. A reminder of our own once primordial ancestors which in turn makes our treasured superior animal condition (human) fallible.