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Add to FavoritesWebster's definition of "Anthropomorphism" is the ascribing of human form or attributes to beings or things not human. As an artist I can say for certain that creating works of art whether in poetry, etching, painting or dance involves letting go of the imagination. Any school kid who has come across Aesop's fables or a tot who has watched Disney cartoons accept these magical Anthropomorphic transformations unquestioningly as magical symbols that delight and titillate appreciated innocently for their intrinsic entertainment value if not for their metaphorical or satirical merits.
Anthropomorphism takes on a twist, a reversal of sorts, for grown-up amusement. Here, the human form acquires some coveted physical attributes of the animal that are perceived as superior, therefore desirable qualities a lion's heart, or an eagle's wings. But in whatever media the artistic inspiration finds its expression: whether in Anna Pavlova's unsurpassed interpretation of the dying swan, Pablo Picasso's emblematic minotaur, Hans Belmer's erotic dolls, De Cherico's marionettes and dummies, the artist borrows from the magical powers of anthropomorphic beings.
And so despite Moses' biblical exhortations against the sinfulness of ever experimenting with mixing different animal species, the chosen people's biblical imagery is never thoroughly free of these anthropomorphic hybrids exemplified by bird-winged angels and part-bat-part-goat demons.
The fascination with these anthropomorphic conditions continues in our modern age. Case in point is Franz Kafka's short story: "The Metamorphosis" wherein the poor protagonist horribly but inexorably turned into a huge spider in his bed. Not to be outdone by artists, scientists see to it that life indeed imitate art. Not only has the farmer, from way back when, successfully started to cross-breed closely related animal species like the horse and the donkey to produce the mule, Genetic Science has successfully grown a human ear on a pig's back to be later transplanted onto the head of a human patient. Organ transplants wherein tissue from an animal of one species is transferred to an individual of another species such as a pig's heart valve transplanted onto a human's defective heart is not unheard of. And who hasn't heard of nature's own contribution of mutant beings with the hairy countenance of werewolves or maybe sheepdogs?
If Fetishism is the belief or practice of assigning mysterious powers to inanimate objects or in the psychological potency of objects to stimulate sexual desires, then arguably the human character has a fetishistic streak. This obsessive inclination applies to stiletto-heeled shoes, lingerie, dolls and totem poles, robots and androids.
And not only artists have this Fetishistic fascination for things and beings Anthropomorphic, but also scientists who are now creating real robots and androids, and religious visionaries with their Anthropomorphic gods, angels and devils, but also children who assign human attributes to animals and dolls and are imaginatively entertained by the superpowers of hybrid comic book heroes.
So people who draw Anthro images are artists and Fetishists as well. They are enthralled in an enchanted state of artistic inspiration temporarily for as long as it lasts.
Learn more about this author, Roy Veneracion.
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Art
Grouping large groups of people into a single category is rarely a good idea. There are very few cases when such groupings work. In order to answer a question that is posed with the purpose of grouping everyone in a group under a title we are forced to go with the majority. As such, the majority of those who draw or other wise design anthropomorphic characters are artists.
What is an anthropomorphic character?
Understanding this question first requires that we describe what it is that is truly being discussed. Anthropomorphic by definition has to do with attributing human characteristics on non-human objects, creatures, and deities. It has, as such, been around a long time. In the Bible we see the serpent who acts very much as a human and convinces the Eve to eat the fruit and to share it with her husband. In Greek mythology we see the gods and goddesses as humans with great powers. Over time, this word has also taken to mean animal people hybrids. Even these creatures have been around for ages with things like the centaurs, the spyinx, and the mermaid.
With anthropomorphic artwork, there aren't very many rules. These drawings and characters can be animal with human characteristics, half human and half animal, or they can be human with some characteristics like an animal. All of these characters can and often are called anthropomorphic.
Why Draw Anthropomorphic Characters?
Creating new creatures has long been something mankind has enjoyed. We have told great stories about such beasts, we have created super humans, and super villains based on such creatures, and we have enjoyed trying to take our skills to new levels. Some artists work very hard to make their work into very realistic versions of human and animal. Whether the artist attacks it from a cartoonist viewpoint, or a realistic art point it is all about creating something new, stretching your skills, and taking you farther then you have ever been before.
Where Did the Fetishists Questions Come From?
When browsing through anthropomorphic types of art you will see a great deal of cartoon types of drawings. People with cat ears, or wolf features. Those with tails and large teeth. All sorts of stuff. However, once you enter the world of the realistic you see nudity included in very human and animal detail. Sometimes these works are portrayed as sexual. They are done in ways that look sexual in poses, in actions, and are adult in nature. This is where and why many ask if this is art, or merely fetish work.
This is a question that only the artist can answer. There are many who probably draw these pieces with a passion for the art, for human and animal body forms, and are all about creation and not fetishism. They can be seen much in the same way as an artist who loves to draw the human body. Artists often enjoy the challenge that the body creates for them. There is something that is wonderful about creating it in accurate and beautiful forms.
There are probably some that are fetishists. There are probably some who purchase books of such artwork for the same reason they purchase a play boy. However, that doesn't mean that the majority of the group could ever be called fetishists. There is a wide variety of artwork that falls into the anthropomorphic category and as such a wide variety of artists. Most of them are nothing more then artists.
Learn more about this author, Danelle Karth.
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