Introduction

In this essay I will be looking at Anthropomorphism and Economy and Minimalism. I am interested in these headings because I find it intriguing how different artists interpret Anthropomorphism into their work and the effect that the characters have on the viewer. I am also interested in Minimalism because I find it fascinating how a simple piece of work can take a lot of time and effort to perfect and can have a deeper meaning with in them. In my essay I will be discussing how artists use these subject matters in their work and to what extent they are effective.

'Bella Badger' By Alexandra Ball

'Bella Badger' 2013 By Alexandra Ball

Category: Anthropomorphism
Alexandra Ball has anthropomorphised many animals in this illustration. They all reflect a different human quality, mixing a variety of ages and species, which confronts the view that “simplistic characterizations that assume that terms that apply to humans cannot apply to animals”(1) does not relate to Balls work. She has set a scene of what would generally be a typical human situation but she has replaced what would be human figures with that of anthropomorphic animals. Ball has created two of the characters in the image to portray a profession, a baker and a green grocer. Ball has acted upon the fact that humans “have an enormous ability to treat representations as person like”(2). Seeing an anthropomorphic character performing a task that humans would see on a day to day basis causes the image to become a lot more relatable to and also easier to accept that although it may not be a normal scene to view, the animals are tolerable none-the-less.  “At one level of analysis anthropomorphism may be held to be the general character of thought and expression” (3) which is portrayed in ‘Bella Badger’. Each of the characters in the illustration represent friendliness and show an aura of calmness. Ball has created this in her work by drawing smiles and joyful faces on the characters whose profiles can be seen, proving that ‘expression’ is key to anthropomorphism. ‘Expression’ would have worked in the same way had the characters been angry, sad, shy etc. The general ‘thought’ that is demonstrated in the illustration appears to be that of Ball herself. The characters reflect what she would have been thinking when she created the image, wanting to display how humans should be interacting in real life through her anthropomorphic animals.

References:
(1) Fisher. J (1991) Page 49
(2) Fisher. J (1991) Page 61
(3) Pailin. D (1990) Page 34

'Berger: Sugar Blossoms' By Alexandra Ball

'Berger: Sugar Blossoms' 2013 By Alexandra Ball

Category: Anthropomorphism

Alexandra Ball has used anthropomorphism in a less conventional way in this illustration ‘Berger: Sugar Blossoms.’ Randy Malamud says “We come to expect that animals should ‘live’ in this realm” … “which means displacing and transplanting them from their natural contexts” (4) however, Ball has anthropomorphised the animals within their own habitat, as you can see with the branch of the tree. She has simplified the surroundings in order to concentrate the main focus on the anthropomorphic animals. This is affective as the eye is held by the main message in the illustration that Ball is conveying. Ball is reflecting the view of vanity that humans are increasingly infatuated by and the understanding that “all that is required is to paint on a human face.” (5) Positioning the lizard in a lady like manner; looking in the mirror; applying make-up; combing her hair, becomes comical and replicates how we humans “have become habituated to over writing authentic, natural animals with a script that amuses or benefits or otherwise satisfies our cultural cravings.”(6) To mirror this strange view that humans have somehow become obsessed over, Ball has included an owl. The owl has been anthropomorphised as it is holding its head with disapproval, demonstrating how other people are perplexed by the strong hold that vanity seems to have over us. Nevertheless she shows how it is still an animal by not pushing its “displacement into our own world, where they are subject to the practices, habits and desires” (7) of us humans and she has done this by not drawing on human clothes or giving it a more human-like face, like how she has characterised the lizard.

References:
(4) Malamud. R (2012) Page 2
(5) Fisher. J (1991) Page 61
(6) Malamud. R (2012) Page 3
(7) Malamud. R (2012) Page 3

'Babar in his Studio' By Laurent de Brunhoff

'Babar in his Studio' 1984 By Laurent de Brunhoff

Category: Anthropomorphism

Laurent de Brunhoff’s illustrations in the ‘Babar’ books demonstrate a “large, colourful format”… “with a simple, childlike clarity” (8) to make them suitable for the target audience, children. As with many children’s books, the elephants in the Babar books have been anthropomorphised in a way that we humans can easily relate to as they reflect our own “drives, desires, fantasies and obsessions.” (9) The Babar books often have the elephant’s taking part in activities that we humans, children in particular, can relate to. For instance, painting. Having a well-loved children’s character demonstrating how they paint encourages children to connect “to animals as if they were very similar to us” (10). This is especially effective if such an animal happened to be a child’s favourite as the child would be able to sympathise with the animal in storylines as they would have developed an emotional attachment. In the ‘Babar’ illustration (as seen in the image above), Brunhoff draws ‘Babar’ with “little or no facial expression.” (11) This allows the child to determine themselves, what emotion they would associate the character feeling not only allowing them to relate to the story but also learn key life skills at the same time. Although the Babar character has some correlation with humans, Brunhoff has not completely taken away its animalistic approach. For example, Babar does not use his hooves to paint, he uses his trunk as if it were a pair of hands. When using anthropomorphism, Brunhoff does not be little the “animals themselves whose ‘value’ as resources makes them increasingly vulnerable to human control” (12) he simply uses the appearance of a friendly animal to increase his illustrations appeal.

References:
(8) Salisbury. M (2012) Page 20
(9) Malamud. R (2012) Page 3
(10) Fisher. F (1991) Page 51
(11) Salisbury. M (2012) Page 20
(12) Malamud. R (2012) Page 2

'Rupert Bear Annual Cover' By A. E. Bestall

'Rupert Bear Annual Cover' 1969 By A. E. Bestall

Category: Anthropomorphism.

This Rupert Bear Annual Cover, by A. E. Bestall shows a clear representation of how Bestall incorporated anthropological creatures into his pieces of work. He places them alongside real humans and actual animals, therefore “illuminating distinction between existence and actuality.”(13) We know that humans exist but when they are drawn into a world where the main species are half animal half human the book becomes “one of the most imaginative places” (14) as you would never have come across such an arrangement in real life. As you can see in the image above, the main characters express humanlike qualities in their bodies and how they appear to be moving. However this is then balanced with the head of an animal and a more intriguing character is born. To accompany these characteristics already mentioned, Bestall also includes facial expression in the characters i.e. Rupert is smiling, other characters are looking on with an intrigued expression, all traits that make it easier to connect to the story visually, “the closer something gets to human form and behaviour, the easier it becomes to pretend it is a person.” (15) Bestall intended to create “a good role model” (16) from Rupert Bear. By positioning Rupert Bear at the front of the group of characters, it is clear that “Rupert is full of fun, vitality, adventure and courage” (17) all attributes that young children will pick up on. In the image Rupert is talking to a fish which at first glance appears to have no anthropological tendencies, not in the way Rupert and friends do. However the fish is out of the water and is talking back to Rupert. This demonstrating that for a character to be anthropological it only needs to act slightly human, it is not essential for it to look like a human as “the description is in the extraordinary illustrations.” (18)

References:
(13) Pailin. D (1990) Page 38
(14) Murray. A.
(15) Fisher. J (1991) Page 74
(16) Murray. A.
(17)Murray. A.
(18) Murray. A.

'Miffy at the Gallery' By Dick Bruna

'Miffy at the Gallery' 1997 By Dick Bruna

Category: Economy and Minimalism

This image is taken from ‘Miffy at the Gallery’ a children’s book created by Dick Bruna and “simplicity is the key to Miffy’s appeal.” (19) Bruna specialises in working in a minimalistic way which is clear in the image you can see above. There is a very small amount happening in the image which causes the minimalistic approach to excel. Bruna takes his time “mapping the outline in poster paint with a brush, then painstakingly cutting out coloured-paper shapes to form clothes and backgrounds.” (20) Although Bruna’s illustrations seem to appear very simple to the eye, his “process can take months.” (21) As you can see Bruna uses simple bold colours and sticks to these colours in his images. This is especially clear in the typical shades of blue and yellow he has used that are mostly associated with when using primary colours. Bruna is highly influenced by the famous artist, Matisse, “the influence of Matisse was evident in his cut-paper technique” (22) and he says himself, “When I saw Matisse’s work – especially his collages – he became the most important man in my life.” (23) Bruna even replicates one of Matisse’s pieces of work ‘La Gerbe’ in his simple Miffy-like way, which is illustrated in the image above from ‘Miffy at the Gallery’. The one simple black line taken horizontally across the image indicates the difference between the floor and the ceiling on a plain white background. Bruna states that “the most difficult thing is keeping it simple” (24) yet it is clear that he has managed to do just that. It is the simplicity in Bruna’s work that makes it so effective as the lines and colours are simple enough to be valuable to the illustrative piece but not in an overpowering way.

References:
(19) Secher. B (2006)
(20) Secher. B (2006)
(21) Secher. B (2006)
(22) Secher. B (2006)
(23) Secher. B (2006)
(24) Secher. B (2006)

'Animals in Negative Space: Polar Bear' By George Bokhua

'Animals in Negative Space: Polar Bear' By George Bokhua

Category: Economy and Minimalism

George Bokhua is an illustrator and graphic designer known for his minimalistic and simple work. Bokhua doesn’t generate his work in the usual way as he uses ‘negative space’ to create effective pieces. When people think of Minimal art they tend to think that is implies “a simplication of technique” (25), Bokhua’s work is far from a simple technique. An understanding of “negative space helps define a subject, and brings balance to a composition” (26). As you can see in the image above, the actual shape (the positive space) painted on the canvas is in black, this could just be a simple blob of paint, but Bokhua has used ‘negative space’; leading the white from the background into the black shape to create the head of a polar bear. This builds the black shape into an actual image. ‘Negative space’ isn’t usually the focal point of an image however it “can actually be used as the main subject in a composition” (27) it can “take on an identifiable shape defined by its surrounding positive space” (28) and this is what Bokhua has done in the image above.

Bokhua’s work proves that Minimalism is not always as simple as it looks; it is a “strategic game with potential positions to be occupied, is to assume a structuralist understanding of an artist’s work as the embodiment of a logic or systematicity” (29) approach. It is clear that Bokhua’s work appears simple to the eye as it is just a few shapes on the canvas, nevertheless his work is created “not at the expense of complexity: simplicity of form did not mean simplicity of effect.”(30) He has created a piece of work that is intriguing to the eye and intricate to the mind whilst keeping it as a minimal art form.

References:
(25) Meyer. J (2001) Page 85
(26) Leggett. D (2008)
(27) Leggett. D (2008)
(28) Leggett. D (2008)
(29) Meyer. J (2001) Page 4
(30) Meyer. J (2001) Page 90

'Cosas Minimas' By Blanca Gomez

'Cosas Minimas' By Blanca Gomez

Category: Economy and Minimalism

Blanca Gomez created the image above ‘Cosas Minimas’. There is a correlation in minimal art “where much Minimal work renders colour and literal shape” (31) and is accompanied by a very plain, simplistic background. Gomez uses this in her work as you can see in the image above. Gomez keeps her work minimal by using only three colours and drawing in a simple, yet stylistic manner. By using solid red in her work to accompany the black and white man, she creates an eye catching piece. She keeps her work intriguing by keeping the detail to a minimum, which is demonstrated on the jacket of the man. By painting on ten small white dots, the jacket is given definition without being over the top. Simple shapes that give the viewer just enough information so they know what the image is, allows the viewer and the artist to decipher the story behind the image and therefore allows the mind to create the piece of work as well as the eye. Many think that in minimal art “a work should reveal nothing other than its constitutive materials” (32) as the work should only be “an art of simple design, clean, unmodulated surfaces and bright colour.”(33) Gomez has all of these characteristics in her image and works upon them in order for her work to be classed as a successful Minimal illustration. The ‘simple design’ Gomez uses, consisting of just three key objects/characters in her work means that she can counter act her simple line work with block colour, keeping the illustration ‘clean’ and unfussy.  

References:
(31) Meyer. J (2000) Page 24
(32) Meyer. J (2001) Page 7
(33) Meyer. J (2000) Page 15

'What Does Love Smell Like?' By Patrik Svensson

'What Does Love Smell Like?' By Patrik Svensson

Category: Economy and Minimalism

Patrik Svensson embraces minimalism in this piece of work ‘What does love smell like?’ Using just two colours and a handful of lines Svensson has stripped the human portrait to the extent where the image is purely “simplified and regularized lines” (34) yet it holds “subjectivity and symbolism”(35). The lines in red demonstrate a silhouette of two faces that are so simplified they become to look alike, demonstrating the ‘symbolism’ of ‘love’ as two figures reflect each other. This is what Svensson intended as you can see in the image title. The red lines then lead to the shapes which form the basis of a very basic eyes and nose. It is considered that “the minimal suggested a radical formal simplification – a negation of all that was once considered ‘essential ’in a work of art.” (36) Svensson has cleverly taken advantage of this. As you can see in the selection of red lines on the left of the image, Svensson has painted one small line to symbolise eyelashes, representing a woman. The selection of red lines on the right do not have this line, indicating a man. He has studied the portraits and chosen to only include the information of those characters that he believes to be the most vital part of their outline. Although the simplified image hasn’t got a lot happening, the image is still intriguing. Svennson continues with the theme of “minimum operating means” (37) with the tea stained background which gives the image a comforting sense of completion as the different shades blend together making the whole image a strong piece of art.

References:
(34) Strickland. E (1993) Page 23
(35) Strickland. E (1993) Page 34
(36) Meyer. J (2001) Page 85
(37) Strickland. E (1993) Page 19

Conclusion

I have found studying the headings; Anthropomorphism and Minimalism very interesting. In anthropomorphism the characters aren’t only created to form friendly faces and figures that children and adults alike can relate too. They also share a deeper message either teaching key life skills or targeting current social affairs. I have found that in Minimalist work, although there isn’t a lot happening on the canvas in the way of image, the simplicity that is shown allows the viewer to decipher the meaning of the piece of art and that the artists have a process that is in fact very consuming in time and head space to create the perfect minimalist piece of work.  

Bibliography

Bibliography:

Fisher, John (1991) Disambiguating Anthropomorphism: An Interdisciplinary Review. https://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/paper_fisher_Anthropomorphism.pdf

Leggett, David (2008) Enhancing Your Art with Negative Space. http://www.tutorial9.net/articles/design/enhancing-your-art-with-negative-space/

Malamund, Randy (2012). An Introduction to Animals and Visual Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Macmillan Publishers Limited. UK.

Meyer, James. (2001) Minimalism art and polemics in the sixties.  Yale University Press. New Haven and London.

Murray, Alan. Rupert and the Critics. How to “critique” Rupert? https://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~afm/followers/articles/criticism.pdf

Myers, Nicole. (2000) Symbolism. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/symb/hd_symb.htm (August 2007)

Pailin, David A. (1990) The Anthropological Character of Theology: Conditioning Theological Understanding. Cambridge University Press.

Salisbury, Martin and Styles, Morag. (2012) Children’s Picture Books the Art of Visual Story Telling. Laurence King Publishing

Secher, Benjamin. (2006) “I saw Matisse – and came up with Miffy” The Telegraph. An interview with Dick Bruna. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3656988/I-saw-Matisse-and-came-up-with-Miffy.html

Strickland, Edward. (1993) Minimalism: Origins. Indiana University Press. Bloomington and Indianapolis.