I only have a few of my original childhood books but have managed to re-acquaint myself with most of those missing as they have become important to me.
One of my favourites was given to me in my teens by my older brother and has stayed with me ever since, both literally and creatively.
The book is Terror! A History of Horror Illustrations From The Pulp Magazines by Peter Haining pictured in its wonderful dust-jacket here, perfect for a dark Halloween sseason.
Amongst it's many black and white treasures is the haunting illustration below by US artist Hans Bok called Pickman's Model, which I have always loved. Bok had a unique style and a searing imagination. His off-centre creatures are instantly recognisable and always sumptuous and thought-provoking. Well worth an online browse if you aren't familiar with his art.
Happy Halloween to come!
I love Bok's art, his cover for 'Who Goes There?' - which was filmed as The Thing, is a thing of beauty. Also his art for Roger Zelazny's 'Rose for Ecclesiastes' is equally enthralling. Bill
ReplyDeletehttps://www.reddit.com/r/ImaginaryMonsters/comments/wrpi1q/who_goes_there_book_cover_art_by_hannes_bok_1947/
DeleteBok's stipple technique was amazing, second only to Virgil Finlay. The skill and labour required to create artwork like this has fallen by the wayside...
ReplyDeleteI did a piece about Bok in my Artist Retrospectives series: https://themichlinguide.wordpress.com/2023/07/06/artist-retrospectives-xiii-hannes-bok/
ReplyDelete