Monday, October 5, 2009

Top 13 Artists of the Macabre & Strange

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, animals both domesticated and wild, I thought we'd venture away from movies today and talk a little bit about the dark arts ... no, not those dark arts ... these dark arts:

Top 13 Artists of the Macabre & Strange

13. Angie Mason - For this artist, it's safe to say that it's all in the eyes. Her style is not nearly as dark as some that made this list, but there is a sadness in her creations, and they sit lowly in the pit of my stomach.

12. Edward Gorey - Generally considered an illustrator, Gorey's work is hard to classify in the traditional sense ... either way he's most noted for his macabre illustrated works.

11. Maya Kulenovic - Her work is so brutal, so beautiful and so emotional.

10. Jill Bauman - This artists hardly limits herself to horror, but it is her horror paintings that I find most attractive. Her roster of book covers is impressive: Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, Robert McCammon ... just to name a few.

9 . Vincent Locke - I was raised on a healthy diet of Dead World comics and Cannibal Corpse album artwork, and as such, I've always been amazed at how Locke smashes the boundaries of the grotesque.

8. Theodore Gericault - An early 19th century French painter whose work is profoundly dark and his still-life paintings weren't always living as he also enjoyed a severed head ... or limb, when the mood struck him.


7. John Jude Palencar - Palencar is more fantasy than macabre--most notably you will find his work on Christopher Paolini's Inheritance trilogy--but then he goes and paints something like this, and he gets himself put in my little list.

6. Robert Williams - Macabre? No. Strange? Wonderfully. I was first introduced to Williams when I opened the album Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses and saw his artwork inside. He's been one of my favorites ever since.

5. Clive Barker - One of the best authors of the fantastic, he is also an amazing artist. Pick up a copy of Abarat and you'll see what I mean.

4. Hieronymus Bosch - There are few paintings I find better than the Garden of Earthly Delights. Especially the far right panel, which depicts Hell.

3. Basil Gogos - Whether you know him from Famous Monsters of Filmland or Rob Zombie's Hellbilly Deluxe, chances are you know him.

2. Charles Burns -There is no mistaking a piece done by Charles Burns. If you haven't read Black Hole, you've got some catching up to do.

1. H.R. Giger - Simply Amazing.

Later Fiends,

3 comments:

May I nominate my friend Alan Clark?

Absolutely you can, Gene. Alan's work is amazing.

Top 13? really??

maybe you should take a look at this website... www.artemacabro.com

welcome

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