A journal by artist and designer John Coulthart.
Art
Des Jardins du Trocadéro l’Automne.
Paris again and a suitably autumnal scene from Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower (1902) by Henri Rivière (1864–1951). Inspired by the celebrated Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, these do for the City of Light what Hokusai and Hiroshige did for Japan.
De la rue Beethoven.
Du Pont d’Austerlitz.
Previously on { feuilleton }
• Peter Eudenbach’s Eiffel Ferris wheel
• City of Light
One of my favourite 20th century composers and I’ve always liked this 1934 caricature from the BBC’s Radio Times magazine, reprinted a few years ago during the Proms season. I’ve searched in vain for the identity of the artist in the hope of finding more work in this style; the “R” monogram is undoubtedly a clue. The picture also turns up on a few Bartók websites uncredited. If anyone knows the answer, please leave a comment. Meanwhile this page has some examples of more recent portraits.
I’ve been a bit late with the new calendar this year but it’s finally available at CafePress. I’ve also been somewhat remiss in reusing last year’s pages rather than uploading new ones. Preparing 12 pages of art takes time even if you’re using old images—they have to be the right dimensions, after all—and I’ve been preoccupied this year with too many other things. So while the cover is new (based on this HP Lovecraft-derived picture), the pages are the same tinted versions of the art for The Great Old Ones from my Haunter of the Dark book. Considering the popularity of these pictures I’m guessing that some people will be quite happy with that; a selection from the series also appeared in the enormous Lovecraft Retrospective from Centipede Press earlier this year.
In other Lovecraft-related news, I’ve been slowly drawing a new Cthulhu portrait since demand for Cthulhoid work remains high. I’m not sure when this will be finished yet as other work takes precedence but this is where you’ll hear about it first.
Previously on { feuilleton }
• The monstrous tome
Trigger Finger and two Ribs of Santo Guerro (detail).
Amazing sculpture from Al Farrow’s Reliquaries series. Gun parts, bullets and bones, about which the artist says this:
I am not a gun person. My fascination with guns is with their function and use. It is the ubiquitous presence, seeming necessity and actual accessibility of guns in our culture that inspires my investigation. I am interested in their impact on society and cultures: Past, Present (and Future).
I do not personally use guns (Except as a medium for making art), so I was amazed at the availability of gun related paraphernalia when I started to accumulate supplies for this body of work.
I am also perpetually surprised by the historical and continuing partnership of war and religion. The atrocities committed in acts of war absolutely violate every tenet of religion, yet rarely do religious institutions speak against the violations committed in the name of God. Historically, Popes have even offered eternal salvation to those who fought on their behalf (The crusades, etc.).
In my constructed reliquaries, I am playfully employing symbols of war, religion and death in a facade of architectural beauty and harmony. I have allowed my interests in art history, archeology and anthropology to influence the work. The sculptures are an ironic play on the medieval cult of the relic, tomb art, and the seductive nature of objects commissioned and historically employed by those seeking position of power.
And when you’ve looked through the small pieces, there’s the cathedral…
Previously on { feuilleton }
• Guillaume Bijl’s buried church
I don’t have any information as to the location of this statue (Hermosa Beach?) or the identity of the artist, unfortunately, but it’s another rare example of the Flandrin pose done as a sculpture. Unlike an earlier version by Pierre Yves Trémois, this seems copied directly from Flandrin’s painting.
Update: Note Hermosa Beach but the Cimetière d’Ixelles, Brussels.
Elsewhere on { feuilleton }
• The recurrent pose archive