Jake Jackson's Blog, page 29
July 14, 2012
Michael Kaluta: Children of the Twilight
I bought this as a poster from London’s Forbidden Planet (a pack of six I think) in the early 1980s. Kaluta is one of my favourite, fantastic, graphic artists. He combines grace, power and imagination with such deftness. Kaluta, the much missed Jeffrey Catherine Jones, Barry Windsor Smith and Bernie Wrightson shared a studio together in the late 1970s and together they represent a focus of free thinking excellence and spirit in modern graphic art that will not be equalled. I’ll add more of their work over the next weeks and months because they should each be celebrated as often as possible.
Image is copyright © M.W. Kaluta 1979 and 2012. Further information can be found on the artist’s website here.
July 13, 2012
Gustave Dore Illustration: Empyrean
This astonishing engraving is from Dore’s magnificent illustrated version of Dante’s Paradiso, Canto 31. It’s very hard to create a decent image of this online because there’s so much detail in the engraving. The main version I have is a large format publication by Omega Press, good because it’s large, bad because it’s on wood-free paper so the ink has settled in and it’s hard to capture the detail.
Interestingly, it’s the line engraving that makes it so fantastic for me. The original line illustrations are less steady. I think it’s the combination of Dore’s dramatic vision with the definitiveness of the engraver’s blade that creates such a powerful effect. Modern graphic artists like Bernie Wrightson, particularly in his Frankenstein images, and Barry Windsor Smith have recreated this effect with their own magnificent pen and ink illustrations.
Empyrean is the Highest Heaven of Dante’s heavenly structure. The two silhouetted figures are Dante and his guide Beatrice looking up at the Saints and Angels.
Great Movie Posters: Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction. Smart, sassy, anarchic and deliciously retro. Elliptic story-telling with Tarantino, Travolta and Sam Jackson at their absolute best (for some great reviews, see the Rotten Tomatoes site). Such a brilliant poster too! Somehow manages to combine the fantastic pulp magazine feel of the 1930s and 40s, with a slicker modern feel.
July 12, 2012
Dark Knight Rises Trailer
It’s going to be Fantastic! The new Dark Knight movie releases in a week or so. I can’t wait that long! I really hated the cheesy Batman of the 60s and 70s, then came Frank Miller and Alan Moore who pitched the character into deeper psychological territories, transforming Batman into the fantastic dark knight of the more recent films. So here’s a trailer, courtesy of YouTube.
