A visual pun is a pun involving an

image An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...

or images (in addition to or instead of

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

), often based on a

rebus A rebus ( ) is a puzzle device that combines the use of illustrated pictures with individual letters to depict words or phrases. For example: the word "been" might be depicted by a rebus showing an illustrated bumblebee next to a plus sign (+ ...

. Visual puns in which the image is at odds with the inscription are common in

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

s such as '' Lost Consonants'' or '' The Far Side'' as well as in Dutch gable stones. For instance, a gable stone in the village of Batenburg puns on the words (‘to profit’) and (‘castle’) by depicting silver coins becoming gold in a castle. European

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

contains the technique of canting arms, which can be considered punning.

In heraldry

Visual puns on the bearer's name are used extensively as forms of heraldic expression. These are called canting arms. They have been used for centuries across Europe and have also been used recently by members of the British royal family, such as on the arms of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and of

Princess Beatrice of York Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary; born 8 August 1988) is a member of the British royal family. She is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of Charles ...

. The arms of US Presidents

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

and Dwight D. Eisenhower are also canting.

In visual arts

Surrealist artists such as

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

René Magritte René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgium, Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature ...

, Marcel Duchamp, and Remedios Varo made extensive use of visual puns, as they played with shifting perceptions and reality.

Graphic artist A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming l ...

s (such as Maurits Cornelis Escher and Noma Bar) and

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who uses a camera to make photographs. Duties and types of photograp ...

s (such as

Man Ray Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American naturalized French visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealism, Surrealist movements, ...

and Dora Maar) have used visual puns for a surreal or humorous effect, or to catch the attention of a viewer. Some types of optical illusions also operate within the liminal zones of perception.

Gallery

File:148FS USAF emblem.png,

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

squadron emblem shows a kicking donkey (ass) with slogan "Kickin' Ass" File:Coat of Arms of Theodore Roosevelt.svg, The coat of arms (a canting arms) of Roosevelt, whose name means “rose field” in Dutch. File:Allisvanity.jpg, ''All is Vanity'' (1892) by C. Allan Gilbert (the table is a

vanity Vanity is the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness compared to others. Prior to the 14th century, it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant ''futility''. The related term vainglory is now often seen as ...

) File:Royal Standard of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.svg, Royal standard of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (a canting arms), her maiden name being Bowes-Lyon: bows and lions. File:Toronto Towers (1).jpg, A lamppost (foreground) and Toronto's CN Tower (in distance) File:Computer mouse trap.jpg, A

computer mouse A computer mouse (plural mice; also mouses) is a hand-held pointing device that detects Plane (mathematics), two-dimensional motion relative to a surface. This motion is typically translated into the motion of the Cursor (user interface)#Po ...

caught in a

mousetrap A mousetrap is a specialized type of animal trap designed primarily to catch and, usually, kill Mouse, mice. Mousetraps are usually set in an indoor location where there is a suspected infestation of rodents. Larger traps are designed to catch ...

typically used for live mice File:Washington crossing the Delaware, Scranton PA.JPG, Washington crossing the

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

References

Humour Puns {{comedy-stub

In heraldry

In visual arts

Gallery

See also

Further reading

References