http://www.salon.com/2013/02/23/edward_goreys_strange_curious_world/
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
An Interesting Article
http://www.salon.com/2013/02/23/edward_goreys_strange_curious_world/
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Graham Gallery Cats
My continuing search for images from Edward Gorey's 1974 Graham Gallery Exhibition entitled Plain & Coloured Drawings is occasionally rewarded by some newly recognized piece from the show (see my original post about the exhibition from June 30, 2009). It is my hope that one day I will have found all the images from this landmark exhibition so that we can better understand Mr. Gorey's artistic frame of mind at this important time in his career.
While researching another Gorey topic recently, I accidentally stumbled across four images which I had not realized were created for the show. I also found it amusing that these images were not hiding at all...they were actually sitting on my desk in plain sight - being printed note cards issued by Pomegranate!
On the back of each card are titles for the images, but these captions do not match the titles Mr. Gorey originally gave the images. Checking the original list of art created for the show, these images were obviously created for Graham.
Below I list the original titles and the number of the item from the show's catalog supplement. I do not know if the colors were adjusted when printing the cards or if the colors shown represent Mr. Gorey's original watercolor choices.
29. Cat on cardboard rocks
30. Cat with umbrella and flower
32. Cat inside empty picture frame
40. Cat at the corner of a carpet
While researching another Gorey topic recently, I accidentally stumbled across four images which I had not realized were created for the show. I also found it amusing that these images were not hiding at all...they were actually sitting on my desk in plain sight - being printed note cards issued by Pomegranate!
On the back of each card are titles for the images, but these captions do not match the titles Mr. Gorey originally gave the images. Checking the original list of art created for the show, these images were obviously created for Graham.
Below I list the original titles and the number of the item from the show's catalog supplement. I do not know if the colors were adjusted when printing the cards or if the colors shown represent Mr. Gorey's original watercolor choices.
29. Cat on cardboard rocks
30. Cat with umbrella and flower
32. Cat inside empty picture frame
40. Cat at the corner of a carpet
Friday, February 22, 2013
Happy Birthday Edward Gorey!
(http://www.webpronews.com/edward-gorey-google-doodle-celebrates-eccentric-artist-2013-02)
Make some White Sauce, stew some Turnips, frost the Cake with Black Icing!
Happy Birthday Edward Gorey!!!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Auction News
On January 24th, Swann Galleries in New York City held a 20th Century Illustration auction which featured illustrated books and original illustration artwork. Included in this auction were several lots of Edward Gorey items.
Included in the Gorey items were two pieces of original artwork. One of the pieces, entitled True Brit, is a football-themed watercolor. This vividly colored piece of art was created for TV Guide and appeared in the August 2, 1986 issue of the magazine.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Chistopher Isherwood on Dracula
I have been reading Christopher Isherwood's diaries. His post from May 2, 1971 includes the following paragraph. This was close to the same time period when Edward Gorey began working on the set designs for the Nantucket stage production of Dracula.
May 2. Have just finished reading Dracula. It really tells you little or nothing about how it feels to be a vampire. What turns the author on is the predicament of the two beautiful bitten women. Of course they both remain perfect ladies, except at moments when they are "not themselves." Poor Lucy! "Her eyes blazed with unholy light, and the face became wreathed with a voluptuous smile.... There was something diabolically sweet in her tones - something of the tingling of glass when struck." Mina never sinks that low, but you feel she rather loves having the vampire scar on her brow, and being oh so brave, and having these good-looking guys running around protecting her: "Oh, it did me good to see the way that they are so earnest, and so true, and so brave! And, too, it made me think of the wonderful power of money! What can it not do when it is properly applied; and what might it do when basely used. I felt so thankful that Lord Godalming is rich...." (This last remark refers to the fact that Lord Godalming could afford a steam launch to pursue Dracula's coffin up the river.) What might it do is exquisite. Was Bram Stoker making fun of Mina? Maybe so. He was Irish. I would like to read his life, if there is one. Also his Dracula's Guest and his memories of Henry Irving.
May 2. Have just finished reading Dracula. It really tells you little or nothing about how it feels to be a vampire. What turns the author on is the predicament of the two beautiful bitten women. Of course they both remain perfect ladies, except at moments when they are "not themselves." Poor Lucy! "Her eyes blazed with unholy light, and the face became wreathed with a voluptuous smile.... There was something diabolically sweet in her tones - something of the tingling of glass when struck." Mina never sinks that low, but you feel she rather loves having the vampire scar on her brow, and being oh so brave, and having these good-looking guys running around protecting her: "Oh, it did me good to see the way that they are so earnest, and so true, and so brave! And, too, it made me think of the wonderful power of money! What can it not do when it is properly applied; and what might it do when basely used. I felt so thankful that Lord Godalming is rich...." (This last remark refers to the fact that Lord Godalming could afford a steam launch to pursue Dracula's coffin up the river.) What might it do is exquisite. Was Bram Stoker making fun of Mina? Maybe so. He was Irish. I would like to read his life, if there is one. Also his Dracula's Guest and his memories of Henry Irving.