CHIMERA
Concept Development for Project 1
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Female fire-breathing monster.
Combined aspects of a lion,
snake and goat.
The Chimera on a
red-figure Apulian plate,
c. 350–340 BC
GREEK MYTHOLOGY
The earliest literary reference
to the Chimera is from Homer’s
Iliad (9th c. BC):
“She was of divine race, not of
men, in the fore part a lion, in
the hinder a serpent, and in the
middle a goat, breathing forth
in terrible manner the force of
blazing fire.”
EARLIER MYTHOLOGY (ETRUSCAN)
"Chimera of Arezzo":
an Etruscan bronze,
c. 400BC
400 years before Iliad!
EARLIER MYTHOLOGY (ETRUSCAN)
Did the Etruscans think this
creature actually existed?
What purpose did the Chimera
serve?
EARLIER MYTHOLOGY (ETRUSCAN)
What would their experience
have been of the animals that
made up the Chimera: lion,
goat and the snake?
What symbolic meanings could
each animal have?
MEDIEVAL CHIMERAS
Woodcut from the Malleus
Malificarum (Hammer of the
Witches), 1486.
• Why are demons/monsters
represented as being made
of parts from different
creatures?
• Why are women associated
with witchcraft?
MEDIEVAL CHIMERAS
Chimera is specifically
associated with feminine evil.
Valerius (1st Century AD),
writes, "You do not know that
woman is the Chimaera, but it is
good that you should know it;
for that monster was of three
forms; its face was that of a
radiant and noble lion, it had
the filthy belly of a goat, and it
was armed with the virulent tail
of a viper".
MEDIEVAL CHIMERAS
• Fear of the “unnatural”
• Accidents of birth
• Associated with female evil,
“original sin”
• Women deviate from the
“natural” male form
(Western tradition, dating
back to Aristotle)
CHIMERAS IN VIDEO GAMES
Mythological characters are
common in video games.
How do video games relate to
mythology?
CYBORG AND CHIMERA
Combination human/machine,
or animal/machine
How does this relate to the
Chimera?
Post-human: fear of the future?
CHIMERAS IN BIOLOGY
Chimerism can occur naturally
when the offspring receives
genes from both parents
instead of one or the other.
Can result in male and female
sexual organs, two different
blood types, or other physical
symptoms.
CHIMERAS IN BIOLOGY
Cloning that involves animals
from different species.
As early as 1984, a “geep” was
produced by combining the
embryos of a goat and a sheep.
Since that time, many crossspecies genetic experiments
have been performed.
CHIMERAS IN BIOLOGY
Genetically modified foods,
where genes are transferred
between non-related species,
raise serious concerns related
to human health and risks to
the environment.
DEVELOPING YOUR CONCEPT
No, that’s not a real critter.
Which brings us to this project:
create your own Chimera by
combining multiple photos in
Photoshop!
PROJECT 1 REQUIREMENTS
 Combine at least 3 photographs to create a new creature (or object, or other)
 Looks naturalistic: lighting, color, image quality, seamless joining of photos
 Interesting composition: elements are placed so the eye travels around image
 Interesting concept: animal symbolism, monsters as embodiment of evil, human
vs. animal, ethics of genetic manipulation, more
 CREATIVE
MAX ERNST, 1891-1976
REMEDIOS VARO, 1906-1963
ANTOINE HELBERT
Professional illustrator
ALICE WELLINGER
Professional illustrator
ANIMAL/PLANT CHIMERAS
What makes them look
naturalistic?
ANIMAL/ANIMAL CHIMERAS
What makes them believable?
Not believable?
ANIMAL/ANIMAL CHIMERA
What makes this photo
montage interesting?
HUMAN/ANIMAL CHIMERAS
What concepts can be found in
these images?
OBJECT/ANIMAL CHIMERAS
Is one of these images more
believable than the other?
Why?
What is the concept?
BAD CHIMERAS! BAD!
What makes these chimeras
so very BAD?
DEVELOPING YOUR CONCEPT
Do
Don’t
 Select photos shot from similar
angles, with similar lighting
 Select photos shot from different
angles, or with different lighting
 Select high-resolution images, and
shrink them if needed
 Select tiny or low-resolution photos,
then enlarge them
 Use your own photos where possible
 Use copyrighted images
 Make something that is thoughtprovoking and unique
 Make something just because it’s
awesome/weird/hilarious/cute
WANT TO SEE MORE?
Google “photoshop hybrid animals.”