Animalizing: Immagination to enhance italian towns

The integration of the animal and human worlds can lead to various symbolic meanings and the present article uses interpretations by various authors to analyse the significance of this fusion. Over time, many artists with great cre- ativity have produced representations of ‘fanciful’ animals which are still rooted in the collective imagination. In such works, one can identify both beings created by blending different species of animals, for example the hippogriff — half horse, half griffon — or animals and humans, for example, the sphinx — half lion, half woman. ‘Spread throughout the ancient world, fanciful animals were also very popular in the Middle Ages, as evidenced in the success of texts in which their physical and symbolic characteristics were analysed, such as Liber monstrum de diversis generibus’[1]. This research introduces a new element of innovation: graphical experimentation with this topic in a contemporary key.