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Overgrowth in myth and art
Author(s) -
Boccuto Luigi,
Neri Giovanni
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
american journal of medical genetics part c: seminars in medical genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.419
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1552-4876
pISSN - 1552-4868
DOI - 10.1002/ajmg.c.31910
Subject(s) - mythology , creatures , amusement , sociocultural evolution , entertainment , perspective (graphical) , aesthetics , art , literature , visual arts , psychology , history , sociology , anthropology , social psychology , natural (archaeology) , archaeology
Individuals with overgrowth have been the subjects of numerous myths and art pieces in various cultures, often depicted as deities or creatures of divine origin, such as giants or titans. In more recent times, however, subjects with signs of generalized or segmental overgrowth have been considered as “freaks of nature,” in the disparaging language of the time, and represented in artworks as elements of entertainment or amusement. The different meanings assigned to overgrowth in myth and art through time provide an interesting perspective of the sociocultural approach to dysmorphic traits and genetic disorders.