A miscellany of Edward Gorey’s masterful pen-and-ink drawings are presented in this classy coloring book. Included are illustrations from some of his books—such as The Blue Aspic, The Gilded Bat, and The Awdrey-Gore Legacy—as well as individual images that depict mysterious meetings, outdoor soirés, and operatic drama. Immerse yourself in Gorey’s vaguely Victorian world and add color to his brilliant, signature crosshatched drawings.
The 2012 Edward Gorey House show, The Envelope Art of Edward Gorey features Mr. Gorey's hand decorated envelopes sent to Peter Neumeyer in 1968/'69. While these important pieces are, by themselves, worth a trip to the museum, there is a lot more to see at this show than just this amazing collection. Note: the individual envelopes pictured here are presented courtesy of the Edward Gorey House. Edward Gorey created fanciful correspondence from his earliest days when he went away to college. Letters written to his mother and close friends are gathered together for the first time in this show, giving us an intimate view of the budding young artist. Until recently, the style of drawing on these envelopes has only been seen by collectors in his earliest published works; the books of Merrill Moore (see my posting from October 22, 2008), and The Unstrung Harp (October 11, 2008 posting). Young Edward also had his first art exhibition at the Mandrake Book Shop while in college (October 10, 2008 posting). After this time, Gorey altered the way he drew figures, moving away from the elongated heads of his early creations. In the years to come, his creatures - notably the Doubtful Guest and Figbash, would form a visual link to these early works. Also on display for the first time are selections from a series of envelopes sent to one friend, beginning in 1974. These fantastic pieces of art were drawn and watercolored on the fronts of envelopes which contained single line, hand lettered quotes which referred to recent conversations between the two men. The recipient quickly noticed that each envelope he received was numbered, and a notebook was found in Mr. Gorey's home after his death in which he kept track of the correspondence. Previously, the only glimpse of these remarkable pieces was in a New Yorker feature from July 8, 2002.
The delightful Wadsworth installation is a fitting setting for the beloved artist and illustrator and the work he himself loved.
these and the last couple of entries i've offered up are images from the various collaborations between Gorey and Felicia Lamport. there are three books in all that the two worked on together, with felicia supplying the wry verse and gorey that illustrations (some of his most whimsical work, in my…
A darkly delightful allegory about what happens when we take our convictions to an extreme.
Edward Gorey “Dull Afternoon”
My childhood discovery of Edward Gorey proved revelatory. I recognized my own bewilderment in the blank expressions of his obsessively-rendered Edwardian children.
What appears below is a text written by Edward Gorey in the early fifties which he never got around to illustrating. That was apparently his method—the words first and eventually—perhaps, as in this case, never—he added the drawings. The strange animal above, whatever its...
The unusual story of a little boy who grows littler.
EXPECTO BATRONUM!
Because Edward Gorey makes my heart go pitter pat. I'm doing some studies from his Fantod Pack; a deliciously morbid set of cards designed to predict all of the disasters and misfortunes that are inevitably heading your way.
Edward Gorey e l’arte del non mostrare
“How it knocks my heart!”
Since he supplied us with a visual vocabulary for cutesy dread over many decades, perhaps it comes as no surprise that Edward Gorey designed a set of whimsical tarot cards. The set is called the “Fantod Pack,” the word fantod signifying “a state of worry or nervous anxiety, irritability” and thus possibly the most Edward Gorey word ever. (David Foster Wallace was fond of the word as well, using the phrase “howling fantods” multiple times in Infinite Jest; the main clearinghouse website for DFW information is called The Howling Fantods.) Not surprisingly, Gorey’s tarot set is (a) not precisely a tarot set, (b) reflexively downbeat, (c) more like a parody of a tarot set, and (d) utterly hilarious. Seriously, and I know that he is known for this style of humor, but looking over the Fantod Pack will give you a whole new appreciation for the possibilities of the deadpan mode of humor. Why is the “Stones” card so funny, when it’s just a little drawing of three plinths of varying size? Somehow the silly self-seriousness of the project is communicated. The backs of the cards feature a typically Goreyish creature called a “Figbash.” Here’s...
Comic Creator Edward Gorey
artistsandart.org
Edward Gorey
In his little books of sinister whimsy, Gorey was true to his belief in leaving things out, so that the reader’s thoughts could flower, Joan Acocella writes.
For reasons which I’m not sure I could articulate, I love this drawing without reservation. (Click the image for a larger version.) It’s from a page in 2007’s Edward Gorey “…
artistsandart.org
A delightfully dark journey into the love of language.
The grim books and bizarre illustrations of Edward Gorey.
Collective tumblr for hauntingly beautiful images and dark, gloomy pleasures.. xoxo ava mercy
A delightfully dark vintage alphabet book from mid-century illustrator Edward Gorey, the Tim Burton of his day.
American writer and illustrator Edward Gorey at his home in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, 30th August 1998.
Since he supplied us with a visual vocabulary for cutesy dread over many decades, perhaps it comes as no surprise that Edward Gorey designed a set of whimsical tarot cards. The set is called the “Fantod Pack,” the word fantod signifying “a state of worry or nervous anxiety, irritability” and thus possibly the most Edward Gorey word ever. (David Foster Wallace was fond of the word as well, using the phrase “howling fantods” multiple times in Infinite Jest; the main clearinghouse website for DFW information is called The Howling Fantods.) Not surprisingly, Gorey’s tarot set is (a) not precisely a tarot set, (b) reflexively downbeat, (c) more like a parody of a tarot set, and (d) utterly hilarious. Seriously, and I know that he is known for this style of humor, but looking over the Fantod Pack will give you a whole new appreciation for the possibilities of the deadpan mode of humor. Why is the “Stones” card so funny, when it’s just a little drawing of three plinths of varying size? Somehow the silly self-seriousness of the project is communicated. The backs of the cards feature a typically Goreyish creature called a “Figbash.” Here’s...
When we last met Edward Gorey at Christmas he was recounting the season’s Twelve Terrors with John Updike. The bright lights and gaiety of the season aren’t perhaps the natural t…
Edward Gorey needs no introduction, and his inclusion here during AEET's "Skipping September Fest" requires no further explaination either. From the Nov. 1971 "HORROR" issue of National Lampoon Magazine Vol. 1 No. 20 (we'll be looking at more from this issue in our next few posts too!) And wow, we finally broke 100 "followers" as well, --thanks to everyone!
Neglected murderesses, imaginary elixirs, cryptic objects, and other darkly delightful treats from Gorey’s singular creative chest.
literary nonsense from the delightful mr. edward gorey. i don’t think i could pick a favorite story, but this one has been on my desk for a while :) click to enlarge and study mr. g…
