Anatomy of Creatures Who Are Not

This idea seems irresistible to artists, as we have seen this before, but I thought I would bring you some skeletal structures of imaginary monsters in time for Hallowe'en.

Starting with the pop-culture monsters, and beginning old skool: French artist Gentil Garcon has teamed up with paleontologist Francois Escuilie to create a real-life representation of Pac-Man's skull.

Gentil Garcon's Pac-Man's Skull, Source: thefancy.com via minouette on Pinterest

Next, New York based illustrator Ryan Mauskopf (aka “RYE-BREAD“) has made an entire series on Pokémon Anatomy of the popular Japanese trading card, animation and video game monsters. (They are available on tee-shirts. You should check out his portfolio too).

Charmander Anatomy by Ryan Mauskopf, Source: laughingsquid.com via minouette on Pinterest

Squirtle Anatomy by Ryan Mauskopf, Source: bustedtees.com via minouette on Pinterest

Bulbasaur Anatomy by Ryan Mauskopf, Source: bustedtees.com via minouette on Pinterest

Moving on the the composite creatures, especially of the anthropomorphic variety, we have Hominid by Brian Andrews, an animated teaser based on his series of photo composites.



Fascinating, though too often over-looked surrealist artist Leonor Fini created a number of works including the skeletons of classical monsters, particularly composite creatures involving women, like the sphinx, and newly imagined creatures like the dragonfly-man below.

Leonor Fini, Source: ajourneyroundmyskull.blogspot.ca via minouette on Pinterest

Leonor Fini, Source: via minouette on Pinterest

Lastly, while we are on the subject of surrealism, I'll leave you with a strange little treat. For anyone who would like more fine art and more of the surreal in their games, escape with Une Semaine de Bonté, a brand new on-line game designed as another way to experience the effect of reading? viewing? interrogating perhaps? Max Ernst's 1934 book of the same name, complemented by music from the Surrealist works of Pierre Schaeffer, and poetry by Arthur Rimbaud, André Breton and Robert Desnos.

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, natural and supernatural phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts. Subjects for anthropomorphism commonly include animals and plants depicted as creatures with human motivation able to reason and converse, forces of nature such as winds or the sun, components in games, unseen or unknown sources of chance, etc. Almost anything can be subject to anthropomorphism. The term derives from a combination of the Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos), "human" and μορφή (morphē), "shape" or "form".

[wikipedia]


The ancient Egyptian god Thoth appears with the head of an ibis, though sometimes, he has the head of a baboon. Thoth invented writing and is the god of scribes.






Killer rabbits, dancing cats and demons. Via BibliOdyssey here are some gorgeous examples from illustrations for children's literature. Also, some not-so-fit for children:




[images via BibliOdyssey]
In 1794, Wolfgang von Goethe adapted a medieval version of Reynard the Fox to produce an epic poem in hexameter 'Reinecke Fuchs' perhaps influenced by the events of the French Revolution. German artist Wilhelm von Kaulbach produced an elaborate set of steel engravings in the 1840s which were first published in the 1846 edition of 'Reinecke Fuchs'. The images above are from the 1857 edition.

That Reynard and his acquaintances got up to some mischief.


'La Lutte Artistique' (The Artistic Struggle)
Jules Worms, 19th century [via BibliOdyssey]

Though a trend in art as old as art, it seems to me to have been more prevalent in recent years in the collective unconscious. Why is that?


By Olaf Hajek. You should take the time to check out his extensive portfolio.
[via bohemian hellhole]



Check out the mysterious work of London-based photographer Julia Fullerton-Batten.

Winter Stories is the name of a recent exhibit by photographer Paolo Ventura, shown in Paris. His work blurs reality and fiction. I am particularly taken with this one:


[via Le Divan Fumoir Bohémien]

A local Torontonian, Michael Wandelmaier has some fabulous illustrations on favorite themes of animals and imaginary things (uh... and hair). Furry and feathered friends are more common than fish, but check out his work:

Something Fishy! 20×12.5″. Graphite on Bristol with digital coloring. 2008

I can not resist sneaking in this illustration by Victoria, B.C. artist Marc Johns:



By the lovely Princesse Camcam

There's always the haunting, beautiful and delicately-coloured work of Minneapolis artist Jennifer Davis.


yes
mixed media
9x12"


trouble in mind
acrylic/graphite
12x17"

Riikan Sormunen is a weird Finnish girl (perhaps that is a redundant observation) whose art portrays strange ideas about animals. So, is posting. She has a deviantART page too.


What, you say that penguin isn't doing anything that penguins can't do? Please. I am not that naive.

The anthropomorphic food seems less common than the anthropomorphic animals, but such images are not entirely absent. Check out the magical illustrations of displaced prairie girl Chelsea Cardinal. She has an incredible sense of colour, like a children's illustrator not afraid of nightmares.

Apple Head