Illustration 18 Dec 2010 08:47 am
Chwast’s Dante – pt 2
- Back in 1981, Richard Williams had a small apartment on East 32nd Street. This, I used as my animation studio for months. (Don’t ask.) The studio was half a block and across the street from Pushpin Studios. Passing this building daily reminded me of my frequent trips to the site when I worked with R.O. Blechman and Seymour Chwast, who was designing for Blechman. I knew what the building held. Designers and their assistants (especially their assistants) doing the daily dose of artwork. It had nothing to do with the building, and all to do with the people within the building.
Seymour was a quiet man who had helped found Pushpin Graphics in the ’60s. He developed a style that has held him well for many many years.
I’d recently read on the Huffington Post about his adaptation of Dante’s Divine Comedy in a graphic novel form. I was surprised to find it in my apartment recently. Heidi had brought it home, captivated by the idea and the illustrations. I have to admit I was, as well, the moment I picked it up. So, last week, I shared a bit, and I promised to offer more this week.
Here’s a sample of Book II – Purgatory and Book III – Paradise.
15After half a book of “Hell”, we enter Purgatory.
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(Click any image to enlarge.)
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Later, we enter Paradise.
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This is how the book ends. A high.
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