I must admit that I have a bit of a strange fascination with art that depicts non-human animated characters as humans. Whether they’re reworking a Rito, a wolf goddess, or even my favorite Shadow Siren from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, I love watching artists play around with skin tone, hairstyle, and clothing to bring these wonderful characters to life in an entirely different way. To me, the ultimate challenge lies in transforming the physical appearance of the character in a way that is not only aesthetically creative but also accentuates the strongest attributes of their personality. And that is something that today’s featured artist accomplishes in spades.
MisellaPuella is an incredibly talented artist on DeviantArt who specializes in Rococo-style portraits. Rococo art first emerged in mid-1700s France as an exuberant, free-flowing style of architecture and decoration intended to counteract the more rigid classical art of the time, much like the Art Nouveau style that has been discussed in previous articles here. If you’ve ever seen those soft, elegant paintings of curvaceous noblewomen in resplendent gowns (such as this one), then you’re probably already familiar with the Rococo art style.
While Rococo went out of fashion in France even before the onset of the 1800s, MisellaPuella has ushered the art form into the 21st century by dedicating her gallery to gorgeous, lovingly crafted portraits of modern pop culture figures, both real and fictional. Her entire portfolio is wonderful to behold, but I would like to spotlight a particularly intriguing piece that features everyone’s favorite motivational speaker from Breath of the Wild, Prince Sidon.
This fantastic portrait depicts the beloved Zora prince as a merman, decked out in formal regalia with stylishly curled hair and the delicate round visage of a classic 18th-century gentleman. It’s rather amazing how naturally Sidon fits into this style of painting, as the grace and dignity of his character are emphasized through the soft, smooth brushstrokes and subdued pastel color palette. Yet that subtle little grin and iconic fist pump reveal the true energy and optimism within, reminding us that this is the same wonderful Sidon who always encouraged us to believe in ourselves. He may have stepped into a time machine and received a makeover from an era long past, but his spirit is still as vibrant as ever.
MisellaPuella really does a spectacular job of recreating the Rococo look in her own elegant and charming way, and I, for one, cannot wait to see more of what she can offer. I highly encourage all of you to check out her lovely gallery, where she offers up lots of other Zelda portraits that elevate their subjects to whole new levels of classiness. I also recommend taking a peek at her companion piece that reimagines Princess Mipha as a mermaid!
