Zoomorphism

Fish-shaped door handle from Germany, an example of a zoomorphic artwork

The word zoomorphism derives from Ancient Greek: ζῶον, romanizedzōon, lit.'animal' and Ancient Greek: μορφή, romanizedmorphē, lit.'form; shape'. In the context of art, zoomorphism could describe art that imagines humans as non-human animals.[1] It can also be defined as art that portrays one species of animal like another species of animal or art that uses animals as a visual motif, sometimes referred to as "animal style." Depicting deities in animal form (theriomorphism) is an example of zoomorphism in a religious context.[2] It is also similar to the term therianthropy; which is the ability to shape shift into animal form,[3] except that with zoomorphism the animal form is applied to a physical object. It means to attribute animal forms or animal characteristics to other animals, or things other than an animal; similar to but broader than anthropomorphism. Contrary to anthropomorphism, which views animal or non-animal behavior in human terms, zoomorphism is the tendency of viewing human behavior in terms of the behavior of animals. It is also used in literature to portray the act of humans or objects with animalistic behavior or features. The use of zoomorphism served as a decorative element to objects that are typically quite simple in shape and design.

The 'Cockerel' diadem, from Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (Lisbon, Portugal), made between 1897 and 1898 by René Lalique
Calligram of a tiger in Arabic, an example of zoomorphic calligraphy
  1. ^ Werness, Hope B. (2004). The Continuum encyclopedia of animal symbolism in art. New York: Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-1525-3. OCLC 52838305.
  2. ^ Najovits, Simson R. (2004). Egypt, trunk of the tree : a modern survey of an ancient land. Vol. II, The consequences, how Egypt became the trunk of the tree. New York: Algora Pub. ISBN 0-585-49235-2. OCLC 54540012.
  3. ^ Dunwich, Gerina. (1997). Wicca A to Z : a modern witch's encyclopedia. Secaucus, N.J.: Carol Pub. Group. ISBN 0-8065-1930-4. OCLC 37154859.