Accidental Bestiary

Stefania Camilli is a brave woman. Not only has she started a new publishing company 

at a time when both the editorial world and the Italian economy are in the midst of a crisis,

but she has chosen to come out with a first book which is unusual and daring. 

For this project she has contacted Guido Scarabottolo, one of Italy's best art directors, 

graphic designers and illustrators (I have previously written about one of his children's books here).

To her surprise and delight, he was very approachable, and willing to collaborate with a new unknown publisher.

The result of his work is beautiful and innovative: an open-ended volume featuring a random collection

 of surprising animal pictures designed to be enjoyed on their own, or to serve as a stimulus for the creation 

of an endless series of stories. To add to the fun, all the illustration pages are perforated

so that the favorite pictures can be detached and hung or played with.

The large format book is wordless except for the animals' latin names, 

and can appeal to both young children and adult animal and art lovers.

I wish all the best to Camilla and her Vànvere Edizioni 

and I am hoping to see a new production soon!

Manga

La manga, this profusion of images, this avalanche of drawings, this orgy of pencil lines, 

these fifteen notebooks where sketches are crowded like silkworm eggs on a sheet of paper, 

a work that is without equal among painters of the Occident! 

La manga, these thousands of feverous reproductions of what is on the ground, in the sky, under the water, 

these magic instantaneous reproductions of movement, of the stirring life of humanity

 and bestiality, in short, this sort of delirium on paper from this great crazy man of over there!

Edmond de Goncourt, Hokusai, l'Art japonais au XVIIIe siècle, Paris, 1895

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), one of the greatest Japanese artists, was 

a master draftsman, painter and printer. While some of his works are still very popular

 (everyone's familiar with at least his great wave from the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series), 

not many are aware of the immense quantity and variety of his creative output. 

During 70 years of prolific artistic career, Hokusai produced thousands of paintings, drawings, 

woodblock prints, illustrated books and manuals. Among them is Manga, an encyclopedic collection

 of sketches of various subjects including landscapes, flora and fauna, animals, everyday life and the supernatural.

 Around 4000 drawings were block-printed in three colors (black, gray and pale flesh) on more

 than 800 pages for a total of 15 volumes, the first of which was published in 1814 to immediate acclaim. 

While the term Manga today is generally used to refer to Japanese comics and cartoons, here it roughly means "sketch". 

Apparently it was Hokusai's pupils who asked him to put together this collection to serve as a drawing manual,

 but he went beyond the didactic format to freely explore some of his favorite themes and subjects.

 One of them was the natural world, which he portrayed with freshness, elegance of lines and realistic precision.

The following group of prints features animals in fantastic scenes inspired by myths,legends and allegories.

This last image illustrates the parable of the blind men and the elephant.

Dark Imaginings

Dream Animal, 1903

This week's theme of fear seems like a good opportunity 

to feature the haunting, nightmarish visions of Alfred Kubin.

Many thanks to Aeron Alfrey at Monster Brain for his extensive post 

on Kubin and for the picture scans.

Alfred Kubin,1898

The Graveyard Wall, 1902

Oppression, 1900

The Rat House

The Brood, 1903

Insect of the Moon, 1910

The Pursued One, 1902

Serpent Nightmare, 1903-04

Adoration, 1900

The Vampire, 1900

Vielarmiges Tier

The Moor, 1923

Strange Relics

Animalia Exstinta is a fascinating imaginary bestiary 

featuring beautiful surrealist collages by Hugo Horita 

and humorous descriptive texts by Esteban Seimandi. 

This elegant volume was designed by Juan Cruz Bazterrica,

and published by the Argentinian Ediciones Tres en línea in 2010.

Bicho Taladro

Armadillo Labrado

Grillo Bebop

Pez Pollo

Pulpo a la Gallega

Trucha Mascardi

Vitrolita de Corrientes

View the book's layout and more images at Issuu

VIctorian Monsters

Many thanks to Animalarium's reader Rebecca for this great Steampunk addendum to the recent Octomaids parade!

A wild ride directed and animated by Tom Werber, featuring the altered engravings of Dan Hillier 

and a touch of inspiration from Monthy Python.

Octomaids

Luis Toledo at Laprisamata, Virgen del Mar

Iconographic research is always full of surprises. 

I didn't expect to find such a large crowd of tentacled ladies

floating around the web! Here's a few of my favorites 

for the latest installment of Animalarium's "beastly women" series.  

Glenda Sburelin, Meduse

Dorothea Tanning, costume design for The Witch, 1950

Yumiko Utsu, Octopus portrait, thanks to this isn't happiness

Call of Cthulhu by fantasio on deviantart, 

thanks to FuckYeahOctopus

Lynne Perrella, Undersea showgirls

Ray Caesar

Jason Levesque, thanks to Dark Silence in Suburbia

Dan Hillier 

Benedetta Bonichi

Christina Bothwell, thanks to Saintstigersloversart

Jason Cantoro, Charms

Philippe Caza, thanks to Jean–Pierre Dubois