I like it really Gorey
You know that intro to the PBS show Mystery! with the black and white animated drawings. Those were done by the artist and writer Edward Gorey; a peculiar man with a penchant for the morbid and weird. I was turned onto his works when I was very young, though I didn't know it was him, when I read those John Bellairs books with the funky drawings on the covers. It wasn't until I started dating this boy my freshman year in college that I could put a name to the drawings and stories I relished. And even more interesting, that his name was Gorey. Hee hee. I've got the entire collection of Amphigorey books and read them when I need a pick-me-up; it makes me gleeful.
After all this travel to San Fran, it looks like I'll need to make another trip out the Cali, but to San Diego this time. SDSU is having a special exhibit of Edward Gorey's work through May 31--the largest collection of his drawings, stories, and bric-a-brac ever in one place. So now I need to find someone to stay with and maybe go with who enjoys this stuff (Jano, are you moving to SD or what? Someone, anyone interested?). Gorey's an amazing artist and if you like dark humor, he's your man. I'm sure you've seen The Gashlycrumb Tinies. Drawings of those horrible deaths 26 poor little children meet. Kate with the axe is my favorite, Neville: who would want to die of ennui?, flying Titus, Xerxes and his escapist mice. The drawings allow you to let your imagination run wild. How did Kate meet her death? How long does it take to die of boredom? How will Titus blow up? Will the mice nibble Xerxes to death or what? Then you realize, "wow, I'm pretty sick to think these things!" It is the fact that you are imagining the details from one drawing that disturbs certain people. They don't want to think these things and think they are bad people for doing so. I always say, better to imagine than to act. I've decided my soul mate will relish all things Gorey with me, or at least not make an appointment for me at Bellvue for liking them. Aside from the obvious subject matter, the attention to detail and the mood these drawings have is incredible for black ink drawings. It takes a certain eye and emotional depth to set a scene that will exist as one image for all eternity. Like a great cinematographer, Gorey can capture the beauty in a moment, in an image with whimsicalness that very few artists can convey.
After all this travel to San Fran, it looks like I'll need to make another trip out the Cali, but to San Diego this time. SDSU is having a special exhibit of Edward Gorey's work through May 31--the largest collection of his drawings, stories, and bric-a-brac ever in one place. So now I need to find someone to stay with and maybe go with who enjoys this stuff (Jano, are you moving to SD or what? Someone, anyone interested?). Gorey's an amazing artist and if you like dark humor, he's your man. I'm sure you've seen The Gashlycrumb Tinies. Drawings of those horrible deaths 26 poor little children meet. Kate with the axe is my favorite, Neville: who would want to die of ennui?, flying Titus, Xerxes and his escapist mice. The drawings allow you to let your imagination run wild. How did Kate meet her death? How long does it take to die of boredom? How will Titus blow up? Will the mice nibble Xerxes to death or what? Then you realize, "wow, I'm pretty sick to think these things!" It is the fact that you are imagining the details from one drawing that disturbs certain people. They don't want to think these things and think they are bad people for doing so. I always say, better to imagine than to act. I've decided my soul mate will relish all things Gorey with me, or at least not make an appointment for me at Bellvue for liking them. Aside from the obvious subject matter, the attention to detail and the mood these drawings have is incredible for black ink drawings. It takes a certain eye and emotional depth to set a scene that will exist as one image for all eternity. Like a great cinematographer, Gorey can capture the beauty in a moment, in an image with whimsicalness that very few artists can convey.
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