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| Golduck |
Thanks to the relatively recent emergence of Pokemon Go over the
summer, the Pokemon franchise is enjoying a resurgence of popularity across
generations. And adults are finding themselves involved in, and obsessing over,
a rather childish activity: the acquisition, evolution and competition of
strange creatures through their mobile phone. For those fascinated with Pokemon
since their youth, some of the appeal of the game certainly lies in its aura of
nostalgia. While engaged in the game, mature players are immersed into the
memories of their youth as the Pokemon from that time are transplanted onto the
world around them. For some the nostalgic pleasure of Pokemon in adulthood may
be unproblematic while for others it cannot go without critical examination or
rationalization.
In a previous post I explored the strategy of rationalization I
refer to as the aesthetic rationalization
of Pokemon. This specifically only applies to the rationalization of the representation (specifically the style
of the representation) of Pokemon
themselves and not any gaming activity involving said Pokemon. Such rationalized
representations offer a mature alternative to the cartoonish depiction of
Pokemon, thereby elevating them above being an interest acceptable only for the
childish. If Pokemon appear more
mature, then they are appropriate for a more mature audience. Such an approach
presupposes that Pokemon can be considered in abstraction from their cartoon
representations, and that said representations are just that: mere
representations, not the Pokemon themselves.
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| Ludicolo |
The challenge of reimagining Pokemon in this way is to ensure
that there is enough similarity between the cartoon and realistic depiction of
the Pokemon so that they are identified with the same fantastical creature,
while simultaneously providing enough flexibility in the image that it does not
remain restricted by childish features. The balance between these two
requirements entails distinguishing between the essential and contingent
features of the Pokemon. The essential aspect of the Pokemon must remain
consistent across aesthetic styles to ensure that the two images can be
recognized as representing the same Pokemon while the contingent features can
be adjusted across styles to better approximate a sense of realism without
compromising the identity of the Pokemon.
In my previous post focusing on realistic Pokemon artist RJPalmer, I distinguished two general styles of the aesthetic rationalization
strategy which I referred to as natural
reduction and alien extrapolation. Natural
reduction entails the representation of a Pokemon according to familiar
naturalistic and scientific forms of animal life. If a Pokemon is not easily
identifiable according to these criteria, then the artist reduces its form to a more recognizable category. As the
naturalistic science of biology does not entertain types of animals which are
psychic, plant, rock, steel, ghost, fairy or dragon, Pokemon of these types are
reimagined according to more familiar animal forms and categorization. For
example, the Pokemon Magnemite is a steel Pokemon and has been variously
reimagined as a form of insect or crustacean by artists of the natural
reduction approach as there is no real-world equivalent to a steel-based
organism. The essential aspect of natural reduction Pokemon art is the form of the Pokemon, not its function,
but even then scientific knowledge and categorization takes priority in
mediating that form. The more exotic a Pokemon’s appearance or abilities are,
the less recognizable it may become from its original incarnation and the more
divergent its reimagined appearances may become. If a Pokemon has no close
real-world animal equivalent then it is up to the artist to determine the best
analog for it, opening up the possibility of artists having radically different
interpretations from one another.
The aesthetic approach of alien extrapolation, in contrast,
prioritizes the function of a Pokemon over its recognizable form. Each Pokemon
has a variety of special abilities, most of which defy biological, let alone
naturalistic, logic. This proves difficult when rationalizing through natural
reduction as it more often than not requires that their nature appearance and
abilities be rendered more mundane so as it fit more comfortably within the
categories of our current scientific consensus of the world. The alien
extrapolation approach makes no such sacrifices and does not compromise with
established categories of biology. If a Pokemon has capabilities which appear
to contradict the limitations of their physiology or physics, then the artist
imagines ingenious ways in which they appear more plausible if not possible. As
the name implies, Pokemon art under this approach often retains an alien
appearance but this is not necessarily consistent with the original form of the
Pokemon. The form of the Pokemon is dictated by what the Pokemon can do and if its biology is considered
inconsistent with its type and corresponding abilities, then it often takes on
a radically different appearance. Natural reduction Pokemon art may appear
different from its original material, but it is always familiar to its
audience. Alien extrapolation often appears utterly alien to its audience, both
from the original Pokemon and any recognizable biological category of animal.
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| Pikachu |
The artist who most approximates my conception of the alien
extrapolation approach to Pokemon fan-art is Vincent Coviello, otherwise known
by his Deviant Art profile as Vincent-Covielloart (the artist responsible to my
blog’s beautiful background art). I have already done one blog post on hisalien religion art series, so it is no wonder that his approach to Pokemon
would take on an equally alien aesthetic (he has even described them as "xeno-Pokemon"). Coviello is more comfortable
deviating from the original form of the Pokemon than Palmer is and is also less
forthcoming in providing textual foundations to justify his reinterpretations.
But when he does, Coviello usually has a plausible scientific-sounding
rationalization for why the features were adjusted. For example, his Pikachu is
hardly recognizable as such with its fleshy, furless form. But Coviello
justifies this on the basis that furred body would be a disaster for an organism
that discharges electricity which a fleshy body may be better adapted to absorb
and release electrical energy. Coviello is an artist less devoted to the art of
realistic Pokemon interpretations that Palmer, and while his gallery is
certainly more limited, it is no less appealing aesthetically and conceptually.
Please check it out. I have included below some of my personal favorites in addition
to the examples embedded above.
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| Togetic and Togepi |
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| Chimecho |
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| Jigglypuff and Drilfoons |
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| Chansey |
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| Wobbuffet and Wynaut |
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| Diglett |
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