Visual pun

Agable stonein the village ofBatenburg,Netherlandsdepicting a visual pun: Batenburg (Dutchfor "profit castle" ) is shown as a castle turningsilver coinsinto more valuablegold coins,thus creatingprofit.

Avisual punis apuninvolving animageor images (in addition to or instead oflanguage), often based on arebus.

Visual puns in which the image is at odds with the inscription are common incartoonssuch asLost ConsonantsorThe Far Sideas well as in Dutchgable stones.For instance, a gable stone in the village ofBatenburgpuns on the wordsbaten(‘to profit’) andburg(‘castle’) by depicting silver coins becoming gold in a castle.

Europeanheraldrycontains the technique ofcanting arms,which can be considered punning.

In heraldry

See also:Canting arms

Visual puns on the bearer's name are used extensively as forms of heraldic expression, they are calledcanting arms.They have been used for centuries across Europe and have even been used recently by members of theBritish royal family,such as on the arms ofQueen Elizabeth, the Queen Motherand ofPrincess Beatrice of York.The arms of US PresidentsTheodore RooseveltandDwight D. Eisenhowerare alsocanting.

In visual arts

Surrealistartists such asSalvador Dalí,René Magritte,Marcel Duchamp,andRemedios Varomade extensive use of visual puns, as they played with shifting perceptions and reality.Graphic artists(such asMaurits Cornelis EscherandNoma Bar) andphotographers(such asMan RayandDora Maar) have used visual puns for a surreal or humorous effect, or to catch the attention of a viewer. Some types ofoptical illusionsalso operate within the liminal zones of perception.

Gallery

• 
  USAFsquadron emblem shows a kicking donkey (ass) with slogan "Kickin' Ass"
• 
  The coat of arms (acanting arms) ofRoosevelt,whose name means “rosefield”in Dutch.
• 
  All is Vanity(1892) byC. Allan Gilbert(the table is avanity)
• 
  Royal standardofQueen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother(acanting arms), her maiden name beingBowes-Lyon:bows and lions.
• 
  A lamppost (foreground) and Toronto'sCN Tower(in distance)
• 
  Acomputer mousecaught in amousetraptypically used forlive mice
• 
  Washingtoncrossing theDelaware

See also

• Japanese rebus monogram
• Slapstick

Further reading

• Christian Hempelmann and Andrea C. Samson. “Visual Puns and Verbal Puns: Descriptive Analogy or False Analogy?” In: Diana Popa and Salvatore Attardo (Eds.), “New Approaches to the Linguistics of Humor.” Galati: Dunarea de Jos. 2007. 180-196.
• Heller, Steven (12 April 2012)."The Object Poster, the Visual Pun, and 3 Other Ideas That Changed Design".The Atlantic.Retrieved10 March2018.
• Shnidman, Ronen (8 February 2012)."Dror Karta's Play With Visual Pun".Algemeiner Journal.Retrieved10 March2018.
• Mendoza, Manuel (28 January 2017)."Bridgman|Packer creates visual puns, evokes sensuous mystery by blending dance with video imagery".Dallas News.Retrieved10 March2018.
• Mufson, Beckett (21 December 2015)."Korean Artist Makes Visual Puns from Pop Culture | Monday Insta Illustrator".Creators.Vice Media LLC.Retrieved10 March2018.
• Wilson, P.F. (25 January 2016)."Can you guess Matthew Broussard's visual puns?".City Pages.Retrieved10 March2018.
• Boyd, Chris (18 January 2018)."La Vie Dans Une Marionette: visual puns, no strings attached".The Australian.Retrieved10 March2018.
• Abed, Farough (March 1994). "Visual Puns as Interactive Illustrations: Their Effects on Recognition Memory".Metaphor and Symbolic Activity.9(1): 45–60.doi:10.1207/s15327868ms0901_3.