Miranda Dyson, Children’s Education Associate
If you’ve ever drawn the sun with a smiley face and sunglasses, or put a talking bubble above a picture of a pet, you’ve practiced personifying something. Personification is defined as attributing human characteristics to non-human entities, like inanimate objects, shapes, or animals. While known as a literary device, it can be found in many areas of visual art as well. Including elements of a face, limbs, or gestures that are easily identified as human-like, artists create common ground and make connections in ironic, thought provoking, and comical ways.
This functional lamp by Dan Dailey titled, Suit of Light, shows a glass and metal art piece crafted to resemble a human. Standing on top of a white, marble support is the metal stick-figure silhouette of a person taking a wide stance. The “hat” is a yellow, glass lampshade shaped like a funnel, with a narrow base and wide top. The intention for this lampstand to be interpreted as a person is clearly conveyed, and starts to invite questions on what this character might be thinking or feeling. The light bulb above the head brings to mind cartoon images of a person with a new idea. Incorporating light above the mind makes this sculpture feel alive and active.
One of my favorite things to draw as a child was a cartoon heart with a human face, arms, legs, hands, and feet. Adding human features to shapes meant I could create characters long before I knew how to make realistic portraits. I could explore emotions and personality in an art form I could easily connect with. This wood carved character from the collaborative art duo, FAILE, shows something similar in this detail shot from Wishing on You. The heart has limbs and is dressed in a suit with shoes and a bowtie. While kneeling—alluding to a stance of proposal—and with a smile on its face, it covers its own eyes. The personification this cartoon heart conveys the message of the surrounding text, “El amor, es ciego,” (love is blind). One major use for this style of art is bringing clarity to a message, which in this case, is written around it. Looking back on our Exquisite Corpse article, we see these artists making use of personification in their quilt installation as well. Incorporating animal and human elements highlights the artists’ relationship with irony and critique. Their use of personification helps viewers understand their deeper meaning and opinions.
Personification can be used to draw attention to a simile or metaphor like this work, The Last Supper shown in our current exhibit, Echoes of Home, on view until July 27th. I imagine this drawing began with a human interaction, where perhaps a relative or guest was especially greedy during a meal. “Greedy like a chipmunk,” the artist whispered to herself. In this image the anatomy of the chipmunks is unchanged, but their environment, posture, and expressions point to a social gathering that feels familiar. The setting shows a dining room with a dinner table and four chipmunks seated in chairs. The table is spread with dishes and the last remnants of a meal. The facial expressions of each character describes their personality and creates a growing backstory. Looks of indifference, concern, and unamused sentiment makes me wonder about their relationship and the dialogue that followed this scene.
This Scholastic Art and Writing Awards winning piece, Sassy Lil’ Urn, displays how influential gesture is even without any facial reference. The green lidded urn is asymmetrical, with one little “hip” jutted out to one side side while the “head” is tipped to the opposite side. Two handles are curved to look like elbows sticking out to either side and curls at the bottom allude to fists resting on a torso.
These artists were able to capture relatable features that play off our curiosity and empathy. Seeing humanness in animals or objects asks us to compare ourselves to them. We’re invited, with an approach different than viewing realistic portraits, to find the familiar inside an art piece. The connections that seem obvious or in opposition are at play with one another in these imaginative works.
If you would like to see the works from our exhibits A Riot of Existence, Wishing on You or Echoes of Home, both will be on display until July 27th.