Mercurius.
Work-related research this week turned up these mask and astrological prints by Henri van der Stok, a Dutch artist who specialised in woodcuts and stained glass. The masks represent planetary spirits, reminding me of the designs that Barney Bubbles created in 1973 for concert-going Hawkwind fans. Artvee has more by van der Stok but nowhere displaying his work seems to have a Taurus print to fill out the Zodiac set.
Venus.
Any time I see something by one of Aubrey Beardsley’s contemporaries (van der Stok was two years older) I wonder how Beardsley’s work might have developed if he’d managed to live past the age of 25. We can only guess, of course, and even then any speculation will be hazardous when everyone who established themselves in the 1890s had to face the challenges of Modernism, either by ignoring it or embracing the possibilities it offered. Van Der Stok’s early years were spent as a naval officer so he didn’t really have to worry about changing with the times. His designs sit easily among the stylisations of the Deco (or Moderne) period.
De Aarde.
Mars.
Jupiter.
Saturnus.
Uranus.
Neptunus.
Previously on { feuilleton }
• Tooropia
• Richard de Chazal’s Zodiac
• Mucha’s Zodiac
• Owen Wood’s Zodiac
• Palladini’s Zodiac
• More decorated books from the Netherlands
The Mars and Jupiter in particular look very Jack Kirby.
I’ve never thought about Kirby’s drawing having an Art Deco quality but many of his designs do, especially the more abstract machine elements.