Friday 8 June 2012

Arthur Rackham

There are many fairies in Named and Shamed: some beautiful, some grotesque and some horrific. As I wrote, I had in mind - above all others - the pictures of Arthur Rackham (1867-1939), one of the true greats of the Golden Age of Illustration. His talent was applied to traditional folk stories, Wagner's Ring and the horror tales of Edgar Allen Poe, Alice in Wonderland and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He could be creepy, whimsical or sexy, but always completely convincing. His goblins lived and breathed.

So, anyway, here's a sampling of Rackham's pictures - to let you see what inspired me, and what the Fairyland of Named and Shamed looks like in my head.





 






4 comments:

Jo said...

I have to confess, that's more what I saw too, when you mentioned the concept of illustration. I love these, and they're so familiar to me. Imagine falling into a world where everything looked like this?

Janine Ashbless said...

Imagine falling into a world where everything looked like this?

I think you've isolated the fundamental reason for me writing "Wildwood" and "Named and Shamed" and much of my more fantasy fiction - I'm really visual, though not artistic, and so I'm trying to create in verbal terms worlds that would look like this.

Craig Sorensen said...

Oh, those illustrations are fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

I love your comment I'm really visual, though not artistic, and so I'm trying to create in verbal terms worlds that would look like this.

I so understand that comment when I consider it in respect to your writing. Very cool.

Janine Ashbless said...

We're on the same writing wavelength a lot I think, Craig!