Personification of abstract concepts.

Abstract

Personification of abstract concepts is an artistic technique that aims to create characters that represent concepts that are hard to grasp otherwise. Throughout history, personification has been observed to have a positive effect on human perception of concepts such as life and death, love and war. Today, it is utilised in many fields of expertise, including literature and motion picture to create more interactive storytelling, advertisement for better user reception, and so on. This study attempts to research the practice of personifying abstract concepts and its effects by analysing a number of selected personifications. Its goal is to acquire an understanding of the process, in order to aid in character design for the practical part of my graduation diploma. The first chapter reviews the history of personification to understand its origin, and the second chapter analyses personifications in contemporary art to grasp the method and limitations of the art. This thesis also contains documentation of my own efforts at creating characters that are personifications. These characters will be featured in the practical part of my diploma, which is a short animated film.