Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (2012) by Lesley Barnes. She also has peacock wrapping paper.
The most popular post of the year was one I made last December featuring all the artists whose work had appeared throughout 2011 in the weekend links posts. (The surge of views occurred early in January when it was linked on Stumbleupon.) Since I’ve been away this week there aren’t any links so here’s a retrospective of things that caught my eye in 2012.
Heartsick (2011) by Kelly Durette.
Self-portrait by Jon Jacobsen from his Home series.
Der Triumph des Tintenfisches from Meggendorfer-Blätter (c. 1900). Via Beautiful Century.
Two Grove Press covers by Roy Kuhlman. From Arden Kuhlman Riordan’s Pinterest page collecting her father’s cover designs.
Technological mandala 02 (The beginning) (2012) by Leonardo Ulian.
Lower Manhattan (1999) by Lebbeus Woods.
La Hora del Fantasma (no date) by Joaquim Pla Janini.
Sarah and Writhing Octopus (New Wave Series, 1992) by Masami Teraoka.
A drawing from Anatomy (part 1), a series by Alex Konahin.
Daughters of Maternal Impression by Arabella Proffer.
Double Vision (2009) by Bonnie Durham.
Seven-inch sleeve design by Savage Pencil for Wrong Eye (1990) by Coil.
Back in June I suggested Clive Hicks-Jenkins’ paintings as potential artwork for Penguin’s Modern Classics series. Last week Clive revealed that Penguin will be using one of his painted maquettes for a new edition of Equus next year.
One of a series of Beardsley-like drawings by Djuna Barnes posted at Strange Flowers. The resurgent Ms. Barnes is mentioned three times in this Terry Castle review of All We Know: Three Lives by Lisa Cohen.
Couple with Clock Tower (2011) by Louise Despont.
La Perspective Curieuse (1663) by Jean François Nicéron. From Curious Perspectives at BibliOdyssey.
Transmitter Crowbar Discharge Unit, Bates Linear Accelerator. Photo by Daniel Jackson from his Dark Machines series.
The Garden of Urban Delights (2010) by Marcin Owczarek.
Illustration and design by Karlheinz Dobsky.
Above and below: samples from Die Lux-Lesebogen-Sammlung, an exhibition of booklets for young people published by Sebastian Lux from 1946–1964. All were designed and illustrated by Karlheinz Dobsky.
Ankle Deep, a pyrograph by Robert Sherer whose work is showcased at The Advocate.
Small Museum of Nature and Industry (2010) by Susan Collard.
Untitled painting by Suzanne Van Damme (1901–1986).
Wunderkammer (2011) by Emma Leonard.
The Fox (1968). Design by Bill Gold, art by Leo & Diane Dillon.
Til Eulenspiegel by Urban Janke. From Twenty Postcards of the Wiener Werkstätte at 50 Watts.
Dreams before Surrealism: a sheet music cover from 1926 by René Magritte.
Le Faune (1923) by Carlos Schwabe.
David Marsh recreates famous album covers using Adobe Illustrator’s Pantone swatches.
Gold Head 2 (2011) by Kouji Oshiro.
A suspended fluid photograph from Demersal, a series by Luka Klikovac.
Prettiest Star (2004) by Timothy Cummings.
More etchings by Albin Brunovsky at But Does It Float.
The Dangerous Desire (1936) by Richard Oelze (1900–1980) at But Does It Float.
Kraken from Ernie Cabat’s Magical World Of Monsters (1992) at Monster Brains.
The Colossi of Memnon by Jules Guerin. From Egypt and its Monuments (1908) by Robert Hichens at Golden Age Comic Book Stories.
How to become a mermaid and dissolve into sea foam in just seven surgical operations (2010) by Carla Bedini.
From the Crystal Saga portfolio (1986) by Moebius. Via Quenched Consciousness.
The Arcimboldo Effect again. An undated postcard from the image section of A Virtual Wunderkammer: Early Twentieth Century Erotica in Spain.
Sin título (monstruas) (2008) by Marina Núñez.
Willy Pogány’s erotica: illustrations for a 1926 edition of The Songs of Bilitis by Pierre Louÿs.
Mateo (2011), carved wood sculpture by Bruno Walpoth.
One of a series of tremendous designs by Malika Favre for a new Penguin edition of the Kama Sutra.
Untitled etching by Briony Morrow-Cribbs.
Untitled (1978) by GR Santosh at 50 Watts.
Portrait of Dr. Ignacio Chavez (1957) by Remedios Varo (1908–1963) some of whose Surrealist paintings can be seen at Frey Norris, San Francisco, from 19th January. There’s also In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from 29th January.
The Rod (1973) by Brigid Marlin.
Thanks for all this good stuff. While looking at Pogány’s drawings you may enjoy listening to Debussy’s gorgeous settings of the “Songs of Bilitis”. Also, I wonder, are you familiar with the works of Fabrizio Clerici? I think you might like him. Happy new year, M.