Post by Admin on Jun 25, 2018 3:34:09 GMT
Here is an artist who was very much a contemporary of Gorey's, meaning there might have been some mutual cross-influence going on. Frenchman Roland Topor (1938-1997) was an illustrator/cartoonist/writer, who is most known for writing the pseudo-Gothic, darkly humorous 1964 novel, The Tenant, which was (quite faithfully) adapted into a film by Roman Polanski in 1976. (He's also perhaps known for providing the artistic direction for the animated cult film, La Planete Sauvage.)
Topor and Gorey share a similar aesthetic in their visual art (black&white; meticulous cross-hatching; nonchalant characters; whimsical tone), as well as a somewhat similar dry, surreal (dark) humour. Topor leans often more into the lewd than Gorey does, but the latter has shown to enjoy such humor in his work The Curious Sofa (1961), dubbed "a pornographic illustrated story about furniture".
Another strong link between the two is their love for the macabre, which is all over the place in both of their work. A perfect showcase for that would be to compare Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies (1963)--a series of darkly amusing illustrations showing different ways children could perish--to Topor's Les Masochistes (1960)--a series of tongue-in-cheek illustrations showing acts of creative masochism as seemingly mundane activities. Or perhaps Gorey's The Beastly Baby (1962) and Topor's Erik, une histoire (1960s).
If you're a fan of Gorey's, you owe it to yourself to check out some of Topor's equally extensive and varied work (which incl. illustration, cartoons, plays, short stories, a novel, TV&film work, and more)
Topor and Gorey share a similar aesthetic in their visual art (black&white; meticulous cross-hatching; nonchalant characters; whimsical tone), as well as a somewhat similar dry, surreal (dark) humour. Topor leans often more into the lewd than Gorey does, but the latter has shown to enjoy such humor in his work The Curious Sofa (1961), dubbed "a pornographic illustrated story about furniture".
Another strong link between the two is their love for the macabre, which is all over the place in both of their work. A perfect showcase for that would be to compare Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies (1963)--a series of darkly amusing illustrations showing different ways children could perish--to Topor's Les Masochistes (1960)--a series of tongue-in-cheek illustrations showing acts of creative masochism as seemingly mundane activities. Or perhaps Gorey's The Beastly Baby (1962) and Topor's Erik, une histoire (1960s).
If you're a fan of Gorey's, you owe it to yourself to check out some of Topor's equally extensive and varied work (which incl. illustration, cartoons, plays, short stories, a novel, TV&film work, and more)