ANTHROPOMORPHIC 7 February – 28 February 2021 by Susan Bloemhof www.rkcontemporary.com
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easonable possibilities and answers are explored by a group of Artists to produce a daring vision of momentary illusion. There is a significant correlation between Art and Psychology. Both disciplines aim to challenge the boundaries of human perception, or to be more precise, free it from its shackles. If our aim is to broaden our cognitive horizons, we perhaps need to reconsider what it means to be human . . . and to fully embrace the unknown, opening up a world of possibilities where we are free to dream and to explore, to bring our inner, secret worlds to the surface: a momentary “pseudo-identity”, if you like. Anthropomorphism is defined as attributing human emotions or thoughts to nonhuman entities – objects, gods or animals. First attributed to people’s physical and mental features, by the mid-19th century it had acquired a broader meaning of a phenomenon occurring not only in religion but in all areas of human thought and action, including daily life and the arts. It is a deep-rooted part of most mythologies and religions, the divine often being depicted as deities with human forms and qualities. As another example, at one point or another in their lifetime everyone has talked to their pet as if it were a person; this is a quite natural phenomenon which usually manifests itself from a very early age. It is therefore no coincidence that children’s literature is fertile soil for anthropomorphism – just think of Winnie the Pooh, the Little Engine that Could or The Lion King character Simba, or almost any fairy tale that springs to mind. Perhaps the best-known modern example of satirical anthropomorphism is George Orwell’s 1945 book Animal Farm. In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, Pi is stranded on a life boat with animals that are occasionally anthropomorphized. Animals are described as ‘friendly’, ‘loving or even ‘depraved’. Christiaan Diedericks, Nut, 74 X 72 cm , Monotype on 300Gsm Hahnemühle Etching Paper
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