Clavis & Claustra / Treadwell's Books
I love a good pun! This illustrative style has a rather old-world charm to it - a bit like David Gentleman's work at Charing Cross underground station. Whether the design has been created recently but purposedly made to look old, or actually is old, its style is visually interesting, especially despite the fact it is monotone.
Coz Conover / Illustrations for 'Witches, Sluts, Feminists'
I particularly like these illustrations as they depict witches in a different manner; they don’t seem to show the stereotypical ‘old hag’ and focus more on younger women in risqué, sometimes modern clothing – a lot of the witches are wearing lingerie, if anything at all, with some even in harnesses that look like bondage gear. There seems to be a strong emphasis on groups of women, often clustered together, as if in a witches’ circle. Again, these illustrations are monochromatic but they are still engaging, drawing the viewer in with their quirky illustrative style. The style suits the subject of the book: ‘Witches, Sluts, Feminists’.
Source: Sollée, K. (2017). Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring The Sex Positive. Berkeley: ThreeL Media.
Le Voyage du Mat / Treadwell's Books
Le Voyage du Mat / Treadwell's Books
This poster of tarot cards I found in an occult bookshop is stereotypical of the Tarot de Marseille. While I do like the style, it does seem quite aged; I think I am more drawn to more modern, graphic styles. However, having a consistent colour palette is something that is very important to form cohesion between cards.
Women's Marches / Vagina Museum
Women's March, New York (2017)
Mathias Wasik (CC BY -SA 2.0)
Oakland Women's March, Oakland, California (2017)
John Andrew Rice (CC BY 2.0)
Women's March 2017, Washington D.C.
Lorie Shaull
These posters/placards (protesting Trump/women’s rights) are attention-grabbing and shocking, featuring crude language (‘pussy’, ‘vulva’) and graphic imagery. They are effective at getting their point across, helped by the bold, black lettering. The colour pink is a stereotypically feminine colour so is particulalry appropriate given the subject matter of the protest: sexual assault against women and women’s rights.
Illustrations / Vagina Musuem
Illustration for The Devil of Pope-Gig Island, from the Fables by La Fontaine (1762)
Charles-Dominique-Joseph Eisen
The Hairy Prospect or The Devil in a Fright (1872)
Thomas Rowlandson
Erotic Stencil, Lisbon (2013)
Image: Denis Bocquet (CC BY 2.0)
There is definitely something comical about these old illustrations! The penwork is intricate and detailed, so you would expect a more serious subject - it just seems funny that they are depicting a woman flashing her vagina at the devil. The facial expressions of the devil are hilarious – a strong message is conveyed, without the need for words.
The ‘Erotic Stencil’ is a much more modern, stylised way to depict the vagina. It is spray-painted on a wall, giving the impression that it might be graffiti and adding a temporary feeling to the piece. The bold, clean strokes are few in number but still give adequate detail that we can still work out what it’s showing.
Treadwell's Books / Occult Shop
Banana Meinhoff / Treadwell's Books
Vanessa Morais (@ness_illustration) / Illustrator
The Female Grotesque: Risk, Excess and Modernity
Source: Russo, M. (1994). The Female Grotesque: Risk, Excess and Modernity. New York and London: Routledge.
Sophy Hollington / Illustrator-Printmaker
I really like Sophy Hollington's distinctive prints; her style is instantly recognisable, employing aspects from meteoric folklore to alchemical symbolism. Her work can be sometimes quite contrasting though - some pieces are fairly plain and unadorned, while others are the complete opposite, with intricate, embellished designs – both styles are extremely visually effective and very clearly ‘her’.
Source: https://sophyhollington.com/
Gertrude Abercrombie / Surrealist
Abercrombie was known as the ‘queen of bohemian artists’ – a title which seems to be apt looking at her work. The moon features in a lot of her paintings, as well as barren landscapes and dark, grey skies and clouds, creating a surreal, but eerie tone. Many compositions feature a lone woman in a flowing gown, often depicted with attributes of sorcery: an owl, a black cat, a crystal ball, or a broomstick. She even accentuates her witch-like features in her self-portraits, as well as in real life – apparently she often wore a pointed, velvet hat.
Harriet Lee-Merrion / Illustrations for 'Warriors, Witches, Women'
I bought this book due to the subject matter, but I actually really like the illustrations as well. They are fairly simple in style and the colours are fairly muted (pastels) but they still create a strong visual, to accompany these strong women. The fine linework is delicate, giving a sense of femininity to the drawings, while the introduction of some textures and dry brushstrokes keep the illustrations varied and interesting. They work well as a series, which is something I should keep in mind, if I go ahead with my tarot card idea.
Source: Hodges, K. (2020). Warriors, Witches, Women: Mythology's Fiercest Females. London: White Lion Publishing.
Sasha Velour / Drag Queen & Visual Artist
Sasha Velour is a famous drag queen (winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9). The very act of a man dressing up as a woman can be seen as controversial by many people so drag is an artform that naturally pushes many boundaries. Velour is much more than just a drag queen; she is a conceptual artist who combines many different aspects of gender into her performances and fashion. I selected these photographs for my research as they have a particularly witchy feel to me – from Baba Yaga to Elphaba (Wicked), as well as many standard tropes such as the moon, bats, gnarled trees and forbidden fruit (Snow White, as well as Adam & Eve). I have also included Velour’s tribute look to Joan of Arc; while looking a lot more masculine than her usual looks, it highlights the issue of gender non-conformity throughout history. Velour's work stands out; it's weird and wonderful and I love it!
Source: @sashavelour https://www.instagram.com/sashavelour/?hl=en
Kindred & Hellbound (@kindredxhellbound)
Flo Illustrations (@floillustrate)
Taynee Tinsley (@tayneetinsley) / Illustrator
Dan Goodfellow / Illustrations for 'The Little People'
Source: Johnson, P. (2008). The Little People: Fairies, Elves, Nixies, Pixies, Knockers, Dryads & Dwarves. Somerset: Wooden Books Ltd.
Tin Can Forest / Artists & Publishers
The colours attracted me to Tin Can Forest's work originally. While dealing with witchy subject matter, they use flat colours but the prints still manage to pop off the page! The paper used creates a nice texture to the print, showing how important different materials can be in creating an outcome.
Source: https://tincanforest.com/prints/
Kathleen Neeley / Printmaker
Neeley is another printmaker with a distinctive and detailed print style. Her plates are linocut and I appreciate how much effort goes into creating a single plate so I massively respect her commitment. She has fine-tuned her craft, and the multiple different coloured layers demonstrate impressive registration skills.
Source: https://www.kathleenneeley.com/
Henry Fuseli / Painter
'Macbeth', Act I, Scene 3, The Weird Sisters
The Three Witches Appearing to Macbeth and Banquo
Lady Macbeth Seizing the Daggers
The Nightmare
Night Hag
Silence
Henry Fuseli is another artist that dealt with supernatural subject matter. The Three Witches in Macbeth featured a lot in his work and overall style is very dark and dreary. Despite this, his paintings are still very engaging due to his strong use of light and shadows. One of his most famous works is entitled ‘The Nightmare’ which displays themes such as horror and dark magic, which some sexual undertones. I can see ‘The Three Witches’ featuring heavily in my work – although not those from Macbeth; I may use the trope in a more political context.
Tim Walker / Photographer
I went to the Tim Walker exhibition 'Wonderful Things' at the V&A with my friend. The exhibition didn't directly link with my project - we went because my friend wanted to go but I did find the experience helpful. I was particularly drawn to a photograph of Margaret Atwood; I felt she looked a bit witch-like and led me to include Tim Walker in my research. I found some more photos including skeletons, which you would expect to be morbid subject, but Walker's art direction made the pieces seem whimsical and fairytale-like in nature. I also snapped a photo of my friend in front of one of Walker's sets - with her hat and flowers in the background, she could represent a more modern type of witch, such as those depicted in 'American Horror Story: Coven'. The final picture here reminds me of the composition of Fuseli's 'The Three Witches'.
Sources:
Walker, T. (2019). Wonderful Things. London: V&A Publishing
& my own photos from the exhibition
Alice Chevalier / Illustrator
Sarah Alice Rabbit / Illustrator
She Is Angry / Illustrator
Sabrina Scott / Illustrations for 'Witchbody'
Source: Scott, S. (2019) Witchbody. Newburyport: Weiser Books.