Pascal Baes
The original video is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0lqNaEjwBA, however it took to long to put on the blog so I decided to show one by the same artist - Pascal Baes, called Surname to Copenhagen. It is a video made up of many hundreds of photographs taken in succession of one another - it makes it appear as if the woman in the video is floating on air. Having been inspired by this technique my partner and I created a video using it - it can be seen in the Practical Work Page, and is called Movement.
Paris Catacombs
These are images from the catacombs beneath Paris, just recently a movie came out featuring the location called "As Above, So Below" in which explorers venture into the catacomb uncovering the dark secrets which lies within the city of the dead.
Eastbourne Excursion
Me and my partner went to Eastbourne and took it as an opportunity to take some gothic and sublime photographs.
Goths Subculture Media Influence
As the gothic subculture became well-established, connection grew between goth and horror fiction which became a cliché with goths to appear as characters in horror films.
Examples of this are; The Underworld film series, The Woman in Black, Dark Shadows, Frankenstein, Beetlejuice, Dracula etc.
Those are all movies in which the characters in the film have a similar appearance, and each have a backstory in which may be viewed as negative or slowly becoming negative creating a mysterious and haunting feel to what is happening around them.
The gothic influence on all these movies and how they portray the characters within the film definitely have a very similar fashion sense as well as how they want the background and mood to feel.
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Washington Irving - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820)Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer, historian and diplomat of the early 19th century.
He is best known for his short series "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820).
Irving marked the arrival in the New World of dark, romantic storytelling.
The Novel soon inspired the director Tim Burton to create the movie "Sleepy Hollow" which was released in 1999 in which they captured the gothic emotion with a strong amount of dark romance.
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| Horace Walpole by Joshua Reynolds 1756 |
Horace Walpole was an English art historian, man of letters and Whig politician. As well as the 4th Earl of Orford. He was the son of the first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole.
The Castle of Otranto, written by Horace Walpole in 1764.
It is regarded as the first gothic novel, starting a gothic literature genre in which became very popular later in the 18th and 19th century.
He is remembered for his Strawberry Hill, the home he built in Twickenham, in which he revived the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors as well as his novel.
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Also what I came across whilst I was on the Gothic Subculture was the art: historical and cultural influences from within the 18th and 19th century.
Gothic Literature which combines dark elements of both horror and romance which was started by one of the first writers who was an English author named Horace Walpole with his first novel "The Castle of Otranto" in 1764.
As well as The Revolutionary War-era "American Gothic story of the Headless Horseman, which was immortalized in Washington Irving's story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in 1820 which marked the arrival in the New world of dark, romantic storytelling.
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Gothic Subculture (Wikipedia)
After using Google to find out more about the gothic subculture I came across the Wikipedia page about all the different aspects of gothic in the terms of how it comes across by fashion, music etc.
Below is what firstly shows up on the Wikipedia about Goth Subculture.
"The Goth Subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock sense, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify. Its imagery and cultural proclivities indicate influences from the 19th century Gothic literature along with horror films.
The goth subculture has associated tastes in music, aesthetics and fashion. The music of the goth subculture encompasses a number of different styles, including gothic rock, deathrock, post-punk, darkwave, ethereal wave, and neoclassical. Styles of dress within the subculture range from deathrock, punk and Victorian styles, or combinations of the above, most often with dark attire, makeup and hair.
The goth music scene thrives in Western Europe, with large anuual festivals in Germany and a goth music festival in Whitby, England. In the US, VampireFreaks hosts a wide number of events in the New York City area. There are also a variety of zines, magazines and websites that are aimed at members of the goth scene. Another aspect of the goth subculture is its approach to sexuality; since the late 1970s, the UK goth scene has accepted and celebrated “unusual, bizarre or deviant sexual practices.
The goth subculture came under media scrutiny after the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, to the poin that teens who declared a goth identity or wore goth clothing faced consequences at school or attention from the police. While Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had initially ben thought to be members of “The Trenchcoat Mafia;” an informal club within Columbine High School, such characterizations were considered incorrect. They were not involved in the goth subculture and in fact had voiced dislike for gothic music. The myth was the result of an ABC 20/20 news report that aired the night after the tragedy which focused on Satanism and cults in an attempt to link the tradegy to occultism."
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After looking into the Grim Reaper, I decided since I had already looked at gothic landscapes, That I would look more on the inside of specific buildings such as Castles and Churches to see the design.
A common feature is the pointy windows, and arch's. They all have a medieval feel to them, as well as a haunting atmosphere which would link very well to the grim reaper character.
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Below are pictures of the grim reaper taking his role in games. They stuck with both his expected appearance and characteristics of his relation to death. The common trademark of his Scythe, Cloak with a hood and skeleton hand.
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| Death in Sims |
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| Gregg in Conkers : Live & Reloaded |
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After researching into the Grim Reaper, I've decided to look into movies and other platforms in which the gothic atmosphere is reflected around him. As he is appealing to the eye and his backstory is definitely has a gothic feel around him.
Below are movies which the grim reaper had and may have inspired the design behind the characters.
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| Scrooge - Christmas Yet to Come (Comic/Novel) |
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| Scrooge - Christmas Yet to Come (Movie) |
In some cases, the Grim Reaper can actually cause the victim's death,[2] leading to tales that he can be bribed, tricked, or outwitted in order to retain one's life, such as in the case of Sisyphus. Other beliefs hold that the Spectre of Death is only a psychopomp, serving to sever the last ties between the soul and the body and to guide the deceased to the next world without having any control over the fact of the victim's death. In many languages (including English), Death is personified in male form, while in others, it is perceived as a female character (for instance, in Slavic and Romance languages)."
"In English, Death is often given the name "the Grim Reaper" and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood."
Above is taken from Wikipedia under "Death (Personification).
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| Ring Wraiths - Lord Of The Rings |
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After looking up medieval art, and seeing the pieces about heaven and hell. I decided to take inspiration on the Grim Reaper and the concept behind him. He is very iconic with a very distinct appearance wearing a black cloak covering his entire body, However there isn't a face most times just darkness within the hood. As well as the skeleton hands carrying the scythe.
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I found these images of what appears to be a structure in the shape of a skull. These interested me as it give's a natural gothic scenery.
Below are some medieval art pieces which highlight different styles of interpretation of the vision of hell and death. They interested me because of the skeleton is holding a Scythe which is linked to the grim reaper.
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| The Dance of Death by Vincent of Kasta |
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Case Study: Sam Didier aka Samwise (Blizzard Entertainment Artist)
Samwise is the Art Director at Blizzard Entertainment. Responsible for creating many of the artwork for computer games in Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo series.
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| Warcraft - Druid of the Talon |
WHAT interested them, what were their sources, influences etc.?
Samwise's artist influences are.
Frazetta, Wrightson, Elmore, Ernie Chan and Big John Buscema.
Sam defines his style of art as; over-proportioned, primary colored, bulky armored dudes and monsters.
The tools he uses to create his artwork are; Pencil, Paper and Photoshop.He states he does most of his work on his Coffee table in the living room whilst on the phone.
Case Study: Alexandre Tuis (Concept Design, Illustrator, Creature designer, Poster Artist)
Alex Tuis is a concept designer and designer for movies. Movies he has worked on are; Horsehead, Dead Shadows, Dark Shadows, Carnies, The Tomb, Blood: The Last Vampire and Dragonball Evolution.WHAT?
Alex Tuis started his creative carrier in publishing, publicity and visual media. However had a true passion with drawing. He decided to achieve a 3D formation with specialisation in video games creations. He then became a freelancer specialising in illustration and concept art.
His concept drawings are of creatures and vampires with all the transformation process.
Case Study: Peter Lee aka Drawgoon (Environment and Scenery artist for Blizzard Entertainment)
Peter Lee is a enivornment and scenery artist who works for Blizzard Entertainment alongside Samwise. He too also worked on the games; Diablo, StarCraft and Warcraft series.
WHAT interested them, what were their sources, influences etc.?
Peter was influenced by; Caravaggio, Craig Mullins, JaeCheol Park (Hipper), Masmune Shirow and Syd Mead.
He defines his style of art by his paintings being very colourful, whilst playing with lots of different colours and tends to create a realistic style. The tools he uses to create his artwork are Photoshop and Pencil.
He does most of his work in his living room as he refers to it as his personal studio in which he has set up his computers and painting materials.
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Gothic Photography
Viona Ielegems
theGOTHIC
The idea of the Gothic in western art, literature and philosophy dates back, not to the middle or dark ages, but to the
eighteenth century. It was an attempt to revive some things that were ‘other’ to the prevailing fashionable thinking of the Enlightenment. Gothic is a rich and complex label, open the door onto which it is nailed at your peril…..
Coraline
Is a 2009 American stop-motion 3D dark fantasy film.
Coraline Jones is a girl of 11 who is feisty, curious, and adventurous beyond her years. She and her parents have just relocated from Michigan to Oregon. Missing her friends and finding her parents to be distracted by their work, Coraline tries to find some excitement in her new environment. Coralin… Moree seriously doubts that her new home can provide anything truly intriguing to her, but it does; she uncovers a secret door in the house. Walking through the door and then venturing through an eerie passageway, she discovers an alternate version of her life and existence.
Dracula (Old and Modern)
Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread undead curse, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.
theLANDSCAPE (Gothic)
cultural and financial capital into preserving the idea
of the Landscape. Can the same be said of cityscapes,
suburban-scapes or allottment-scapes? What’s your
view on all that heritage stuff and your back-yard?
As I'm doing Gothic I thought about possibilities of finding a good mixture of landscape and gothic scenery so that I have a powerful link. I feel that the most effective landscapes which fit in with the gothic atmosphere are Churches and Forests (Trees). As portrayed in movies these are typical places that feel dark and eerie.
Since Wordsworth's cloud gazing wanderings the
English, in particular, have invested a great deal ofcultural and financial capital into preserving the idea
of the Landscape. Can the same be said of cityscapes,
suburban-scapes or allottment-scapes? What’s your
view on all that heritage stuff and your back-yard?
As I'm doing Gothic I thought about possibilities of finding a good mixture of landscape and gothic scenery so that I have a powerful link. I feel that the most effective landscapes which fit in with the gothic atmosphere are Churches and Forests (Trees). As portrayed in movies these are typical places that feel dark and eerie.
Gothic Inspired Characters/People
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| Cologne Cathedral (Germany) |
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| Trondheim Cathedral |
Gothic Inspired Characters/People
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| Marilyn Manson |
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| Ryuk (Death Note) |
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| Tyrael |
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| Edward Scissorhand |
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| Black Butler (Sebastian) |
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| Batman |
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| Count Cain (GodChild) |
thePORTRAIT
To portray something is often, but not always, to capture some form of likeness,similarity or analogous quality of the subject. But on the face of it, does the
facade reveal or conceal the inner workings or machinations of the subject’s
subjectivity? There’s more to making a good portrait than meets the eye.
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