Posted
on February 22, 2014
The
black-and-white illustrations by Edward Gorey are at times...well,
gory! And weird. And creepy.
Or
a skeleton man shielding a whole bunch of tiny kids with a bat-wing
umbrella?
The
weird world of Gorey was created in the 1900s but seems to be set in
the 1800s. It was created by an American who only traveled overseas
once, but it seems to be set in Britain. It's a place where, I think,
Tim Burton (of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Edward
Scissorhands” fame) would feel right at home.
Also,
it's a place that is way too disturbing for some children, but that
appeals to many of them. Edward Gorey himself didn't know much about
kids, or particularly like them. He was a bit of a hermit, actually;
he never had a family, and when he died, he left his money to a
charitable trust that helps cats, dogs, bats, and insects!
Did
you know...?
- Some people call Gorey's art gothic. Most say that it is surrealist. He himself called it literary nonsense, like the works of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear.
One time Edward Gorey was asked who his favorite artists were. He didn't talk much about other illustrators, as I expected he would. Instead, he talked about authors whose books I love, like Jane Austen and Agatha Christie, and he talked about choreographer George Balanchine.
Also
on this date:
Plan
ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
Illustration #2 is beautiful but it’s not by Gorey- it’s Italian artist, Domenico Gnoli, 1968|Bestiario Moderno
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