Alpha: the Figure in the Cage

Abstract

Drawing is sometimes referred to as a definitively human activity. In this article, drawings by nonhuman animals, particularly primates, are discussed as evidence that the activity is not essentially or exclusively human. In particular the research focuses on one chimpanzee, Alpha, whose drawings were the subject of an experiment in Gestalt psychology published in 1951. The article traces her early life as the first chimpanzee to be born as part of a breeding program established by Robert Yerkes, whose scientific project has been critically examined by Donna Haraway (1989;1991). Alpha was cared for in the home of two scientists in infancy but later moved to an enclosure with other chimpanzees. Alpha's desire to draw is shown to have developed in the context of both human contact and physical captivity. Subsequent citations of the drawing experiment with Alpha are discussed as evidence that drawings by nonhuman primates have provoked academic interest, although commentators are cautious in attributing significance to them. The continuing potential of Alpha's drawings to generate discussion and challenge anthropocentric assumptions is suggested as the disruptive legacy of this particular laboratory animal within the process of knowledge production.

New indices to characterize drawing behavior in humans (Homo sapiens) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

“…Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, Strasbourg, France. 2 Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France. 3 Kumamoto Sanctuary, Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.…”

“…This study considers drawing behavior in its simplest form, i.e. an active creation of visible marks that may or may not be figurative 2 . Children start drawing what we call scribbles around their first year of age 3 .…”

Drawing in nonhuman primates: What we know and what remains to be investigated.

“…She was home-raised by the Jacobsen couple during her first months of life. They described in their monitoring reports how Alpha seemed to enjoy tracing the patterns of a floor covering carpet with her index finger (Jacobsen et al, 1932; MacDonald, 2014). As an adult, Alpha still showed great interest in tracing patterns and begged for pencils and paper whenever she saw a lab member who had any.…”

“…However, the present article will not examine the “artistic behavior” (Lenain, 1990) or the “aesthetic aspects of picture-making” by nonhumans (Morris, 1962) that have been mentioned in previous literature. Indeed, a drawing is only considered a piece of art by human choice, and the potentially artistic aspect of animal productions has already been the subject of heated debate across a wide range of scientific domains (Lenain, 1995; MacDonald, 2014; Morris, 1962; Seghers, 2014). We begin by listing the different historical anecdotes that led to the first methodological studies and results.…”

“…This article examines studies on drawing behavior in animals, and more specifically in nonhuman primates. In this review, we consider drawing as mark-making activity in which intentional and visible marks are produced (MacDonald, 2014). As Maslen and Southern (2011) perfectly summarized, “It [mark-making] is the gestural language of drawing, and marks are the component parts within it” (p. 28).…”