Tracking down a style of painting.

September 14, 2008 10:01 AM

Animal head, human body: what is this style of painting called?

Often done in oils, had a huge surge of popularity a long time ago, these paintings are very realistic looking human scenes (people in court robes, playing croquet, etc), but instead of having human heads, they have animal heads. I know this style of art has a name - I am looking for it, or barring that, names of artists that painted in this style.

A very modern example can be found here - this is a photoshop job, but the look is sort of the same. What is this style of portrait called?

posted by kristin to media & arts (6 comments total)

You mean like the dogs playing poker ones?
posted by lucia__is__dada at 10:11 AM on September 14, 2008

Yes, but not schlocky. No offense, if you are a big DPP collector! I know this was a popular style for a bit in the late 18th century - I saw a group of them at a house tour, and in the history of the tour it came up that this was a huge fad in art for a little period of time. I am looking for the name of that fad, or artists who painted in that way, previous to the DPP series.
posted by kristin at 10:34 AM on September 14, 2008

"Theriocephaly" is the technical term. Photographic versions of what you're talking about was made pretty famous by William Wegman; his work is specifically cynocephalic (dog-headed). I don't think these words are used too often though, so I'm not sure how useful they'll be.

I think "Chimera Ironic" is a better term, but I just came up with that now... it sort of also sounds like a typeface.
posted by MaddyRex at 10:35 AM on September 14, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Like Hieronemous Bosch? I thought he did it best
posted by Redhush at 10:41 AM on September 14, 2008

Zoomorphism.
posted by bru at 12:37 PM on September 14, 2008

Bru, you really really stole my thunder on this one.
posted by zoomorphic at 3:06 PM on September 14, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]