You say "whimsical"?

<p>Bonjour,<br /> I have learnt in the last Photonet Newsletter that the "February Photo Contest theme is "Whimsical"".<br /> Being barely litterate in English, I have grabbed my heaviest English-French dictionary and looked for this word. I have found no less than five French words to translate "whimsical". And when I have done a back-search, only one ("fantaisiste") pointed primarily at "whimsical", without IMHO making much sense regarding the theme of a photo. Next I have looked into Google and found even more confusion, and bizarre images. <br>

Could somebody help me with a few examples of things - not necessarily images - that are unambiguously whimsical?<br>

Thank you in advance</p>

<p>Playing a game and not sticking to the rules can be whimsical.</p>

<p>Children are often whimsical. A kid pretend to fly around the room is often an example of whimsy.</p>

<p>Whimsy is in itself "ambiguous."</p>

<p>Try "amusing or unusual, without a real sense of purpose."</p>

<p>My Mother used to say, "Whimsy is a flight of fancy".<br>

I'm sure that will unravel the mystery for you, Didier ;)</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Yes Gup, I am seeing the end of the tunnel, although it is still distant..<br>

Could whimsical be equivalent to oneiric (~dreamlike)?<br>

Can the image below, kindly provided by Mr Magritte (<a href="http://www.magritte.be/fondation/">http://www.magritte.be/fondation/</a>), be considered as whimsical?<br>

If yes, the monthly theme implies a good deal of creative post-processing, right?</p>

<p><i>Mod: Image removed. Per the photo.net Terms of Use, do not post images that you did not create.</i></P>

<p>I don't think of the surreal as whimsical. Magritte's work, to me at least, involves a sense of a little discomfort and dislocation, and the sense that I don't quite get it. Whimsical implies (I think) a bit of frivolity, or something that doesn't take itself too seriously. Maybe a<em>musant et frivole.</em></p>

<p>It's a good semantic discussion, and it's an example of why photo.net was a better place when we had an off-topic forum.</p>

<p>The thing is, Dave, this is not Off Topic and I suspect if it were off topic, the thread would have been deleted. It's specifically about a photo contest and has so far remained fairly visual, which I think is probably On Topic enough. Since the Magritte photo was rightfully removed as per the terms of agreement, I'll link to it <a href="http://thefusionmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/reneeeee.jpg">HERE</a>, so that people can see it.</p>

<p>I agree with you that surrealism is different from whimsy, though I'd say it often has elements of whimsy. I agree that the discomfort often associated with surrealism makes it quite different. There may be some whimsical aspects to surrealism but there's much more as well.</p>

<p>So, let's say Magritte light?<br>

Edward seems to be right, this word is definetely ambiguous.<br>

Maybe this is the intention of this month's theme?</p>

 

The "Mila's Daydreams" fanciful photos of

sleeping babies were whimsical. (I mean the

photos by Adele Enerson, not the unrelated and

similarly titled "Mila's Dreams" erotica.)

http://adeleenersen.com/

 

And the book, "When My Baby Dreams"

 

http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780062071750

 

The variations of the meme "Always be yourself, unless you can be (a unicorn; Batman; your fantasy here). Then always be (a unicorn; Batman; your fantasy here)" are in the adult whimsy vein, as they touch upon nostalgia or reconnecting with our childhood sense of play.

<p>From your contributions, childhood seems to be a consensus component of the the contest theme (although far from the whole thing). Could that imply, for this contest, a bit of naive photography?<br>

Douanier Rousseau? (<a href="http://www.henrirousseau.org/">http://www.henrirousseau.org/</a>)</p>

<p>Rousseau! When I think of him, I think of primitivism, and magic realism. I think that still doesn't hit the mark of 'whimsy'. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Henri_Rousseau_-_La_zingara_addormentata.jpg">This painting</a> is full of magic, but I can't think of it as whimsy-- maybe others will. I worry that when you ask for 'whimsy' in a photography contest, you run the risk of getting dogs wearing sunglasses, and the like. </p>

<p>And yes, Fred G, I know this is not off-topic, because it references the contest. But it's about semantics, so it's arguably a little close to the edge. It makes me wonder is whether any word means exactly the same thing to different people.</p>

<p>One dictionary says "playfully quaint or fanciful behavior or humor." Perhaps the playful aspect distinguishes the whimsical from most photos or works of art that are considered surreal. Adults can be playful, too, and so the noun "whimsy" is not only associated with what children might do. Adults can thus be whimsical as well. There does seem to be an element of mild humor in much whimsical work.<br /> <br /> In my opinion, Henri Rousseau's work might qualify, but it is hardly typical of what I would call whimsical. I would not try to place too many limits on whimsy. It roams rather free and easy, like fantasy does. Yet, yet, it is not necessarily fantastic.</p>

<p>See <strong><a href="http://books.google.com/books/about/Where_the_Wild_Things_Are.html?id=06NDRAAACAAJ"><em>Where the Wild Things Are</em> </a></strong>by Maurice Sendak. There is whimsy there. There is also fantasy. It is playful fantasy. Is fantasy an essential component of whimsy? Perhaps not, but it is often there. <em><strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_Wild_Things_Are#Literary_significance">This</a></strong></em> part of discussion over Sendak's most famous work might help.</p>

<p>Lewis Carroll's poem <strong><em><a href="http://www.jabberwocky.com/carroll/jabber/jabberwocky.html">"Jabberwocky" </a></em></strong>is an example of whimsical literature. There are a lot of "nonsense words" in "Jabberwocky." Whimsy often contains elements of mild or harmless nonsense. If there is a harsher edge, then a work is not really likely to be considered whimsy anymore, in my opinion. Whimsy typically has a light touch, nothing too edgy in most cases.</p>

<p>If I may reference one of my own photos, there is an element of whimsy in my title of <em><strong><a href="/photo/17913917">this one.</a></strong></em></p>

<p>--Lannie</p>

<blockquote>

<p> you run the risk of getting dogs wearing sunglasses</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Dave, I'm cut to the bone.</p><div></div>

<p>Gup, right on! That's 'whimsy', personified. (Canified?)</p>

<p>Gup, ukelele would balanced this out some more....but, for the most part <em>you got it</em>.</p>

<p>Les</p>

<p>In other words, whimsy can occupy that vast region between the sublime and the ridiculous. It's usually fun. Maybe it always is.</p>

<p>--Lannie</p>

<p>Whimsical to me I think can be defined by any image that conveys a sense of humor by the photographer that doesn't draw attention or imply any hidden agenda or message except innocence, fun and wonderment about the world as if through the POV of a child no matter how sophisticated or simplistic it appears with a good balance between grounded reality and fantasy.</p>

<p>Examples that come to my mind are Rube Goldberg style setups either accidental or constructed, dolls that are shown to be treated as if they are real humans as in a tea party at home or at a public setting such as at a table in a restaurant, etc. </p>

<p>A movie I feel shows quite a few images that could be consider whimsical is "Fantastic Mr. Fox" which uses stop motion animation of small life like animal dolls speaking with human voices, a good balance between reality and fantasy. </p>

<blockquote>

<p><em>"only one ("fantaisiste") pointed primarily at "whimsical"</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Whimsical can be farfelu, saugrenu, enjoye, fantaisiste, or leger, depending on context; I think the most suitable translation in this case might indeed be "Une photographie fantaisiste" in the context of playfulness. </p>

<p>Of course I'm Chinese, so take that with some *soy sauce. :-) </p>

<p>*grains of salt</p>

<p>Thank you very much to everybody for your answers to my initial question. Here is my conclusion, so far:<br /> Well, I was naïve to expect a simple translation as it turns out that "whimsical" encompasses a wide range of quite subtle concepts. Indeed, on this discussion I have counted a multitude of English and French equivalents, or associated concepts. In summary: "Children are often whimsical; Adults can thus be whimsical as well"; "amusing or unusual, without a real sense of purpose"; "a flight of fancy"; "a<em>musant et frivole</em>"; "frivolity"; "playfully quaint or fanciful behavior or humor"; "fantasy [often] an essential component of whimsy"; "mild or harmless nonsense"; "light touch", "usually fun"; "a sense of humor by the photographer that [implies a message of] innocence, fun and wonderment"; "between the sublime and the ridiculous"; "good balance between reality and fantasy"; "<em>farfelu, saugrenu, enjoué, fantaisiste</em>, or <em>léger</em>"; "<em>Une photographie fantaisiste</em>" in the context of playfulness with soy sauce"; (Please forgive any oversight, and special thanks to French <em>locuteurs</em>). <br /> I have to confess that I am a bit overwhelmed by all this...So I will now need to let this database percolate inside my brain, and hopefully end up with a candidate photo. Don't repeat it, but I whish I have also a "dog wearing sunglasses" one...<br /> By the way, I wonder why such an unusually subtle theme was choosen for next month, it is quite different from the previous ones. I am looking forward to seeing the contributions, and the results, given the fact that, namely, the contributors are the jury.<br /> 　</p>

<p>Didier, is there a single French word that seems to capture the same essential meaning?</p>

<p>--Lannie</p>

<p>Lannie, no... Maybe "<em>fantaisiste</em>" but it has also the negative meaning of: unreliable, which doesn not seem to be part of whimsical. I think that Michael has a very good summary:"<em>farfelu, saugrenu, enjoué, fantaisiste</em>, or <em>lége</em>r" + "playfulness". I would qualify a dog wearing sunglasses as primarily <em>farfelu</em>.</p>

 

<p>Perhaps naive and exotic, as a dream might portray? Whimsical likely implies letting our imagination run a bit wild. It can also I think involve a certain incongruency. Maybe not the best examples, but the latter quality (incongruency) is to some degree evident in these images. One was just there, the other needed a bit of whimsy to create:</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/photo/16552584</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/photo/10193910</p>

<p>Some mentioned children as natural generators of whimsy. This is a young girl in her thoughts in a fairly whimsical setting (although the print copied is too dark - I have since improved it)</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/photo/8158532</p>

<p>Didier, recourse to the Larousse English-French dictionary provides some other definitions for whimsy:</p>

<p>capriceux; fantastique, absurde (all close to English words) and étrange, saugrenu, insolite</p>

<p>It's a magical word. Like the semi-imagined world of Le Douanier.</p>

<p>Last shot:</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Some prefer it upside down (like one magazine art director), but it may portray whimsy to bird lovers or musicians.</p><div></div>

<p>Whimsy can also be created in the feelings of the viewer as in this 1856 photo by Samuel MacLaughglin, first official photographer of Canada, taken only a few miles from us in rural Quebec. When I see this sort of beautiful heritage image it can't help but create a feeling of whimsy. </p>

<hr>

<p><i>Mod note: Link substituted for embedded photo. <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Winter_Scene_in_Lower_Canada.jpg"><strong>"Winter Scene in Lower Canada"</strong></a> by Samuel McLaughlin.</i></p>

<p>Arthur, thank you for your excellent photographic examples, much needed here since we have already built an encyclopedy on everything that is whimsical or not in writing. Nevertheless your contribution from the larousse is quite welcome (my source is Robert & Collins), however, to me "<em>capricieux; fantastique, absurde, étrange, saugrenu, insolite</em>" sound like strong words whereas there seem to be a consensus about lightness when it comes to whimsical things.<br>

"Migratory intention" looks to me a typical surrealistic image that Magritte (again) could have painted. On the other hand, I am missing the meaning of MacLaughglin's photo. I see what you mean with Acadia 5, and "Free flight" fits definetly inside the galaxy of this thread's encyclopedy. "Spring Dreams" too, with much subtlety, and the consensus childhood touch.<br>

Any comment by the previous contributors?</p>