Exquisite Monsters

Illustration from L'abécèdaire de la colère

As soon as I first saw the artworks of Swiss illustrator Emmanuele Houdart I was captivated

by their beauty and originality. Houdart was born in Geneve, where she studied art, and later moved to Paris

to pursue her career as an illustrator. SInce then she has illustrated over twenty children's books, 

some written by her and others by authors like Laëtitia Bourget. 

Houdarts' surreal worlds are populated with a strange variety of monsters and hybrid creatures,

fantastical representations of her inner dreams, thoughts and emotions.

Illustration from Les choses que je sais, 2003

Some of her books have won important prizes, including the 2005 Bologna Ragazzi Award for Monstres Malades. 

Illustration from L'apprentissage amoreux, 2005

Les voyages merveilleux de Lilou la Fée, 2006

Houdart creates her illustrations with felt-tip pens, a technique which leaves very little space

 for mistakes. Often she utilizes a very restrained color palette, which I find both elegant

 and powerful. I love her illustrations colored in shades of red and green.

Dedans, 2006

L'abécèdaire de la colère, 2008

Tout va bien Merlin!, 2009

Illustration from Saltimbanques, 2011

By the way, it's going to be a very French February here at Animalarium...

Jim's Jazzy Creatures

With today's post I want to celebrate the recent Italian edition of Jim Flora's 

The Day The Cow Sneezed. To my knowledge, this is the first time that a book 

by Flora has been published in my country, and as they say, better late than never!

My gratitude goes to the wonderful publisher Orecchio Acerbo for bringing us 

another classic, after their beautiful re-editions of Peter Newell.

Like many, I discovered Flora through his famous jazz record covers before realizing 

that he had written and illustrated 17 children's books between 1955 and 1982.

The Day the Cow Sneezed was published in 1957, and was the second of the series.

Here's a peek at many of the other volumes, with links to more illustrations and info when available. 

And if you are not familiar with the artist, you may read his biography in Italian and English.

The Fabulous Fireworks Family, 1955

Charlie Yup and his Snip-Snap Boys, 1959

Leopold the See-Through Crumbpicker, 1961, thanks to Stickers and Stuff

Kangaroo for Christmas, 1962

My Friend Charlie, 1964

Grandpa's Farm, 1965

Sherwood Walks Home, 1966

Fishing with Dad, 1967

The Joking Man, 1968

Pishtosh Bullwash and Wimple, 1972

The Great Green Turkey Creek Monster, 1976

Grandpa's Ghost Stories, 1978

My thanks goes to the website and blog dedicated to Flora, and to the always delicious

Vintage Kid's Book My Kid Loves, which has uploaded most of the artist's books.

The Shrine

Thanks to my daughter and music connoisseur Michelle for sharing with me 

this beautiful and haunting video for The Shrine/An Argument by Fleet Foxes. 

Directed by the very talented Sean Pecknold, who is also brother of Ryan, 

the band's frontman.

Mysterious Wanderings

A Moment of Respite

I am deeply fascinated by the arcane and magical worlds

evoked by the art of Andy Kehoe. I would love to take a walk

through his mystical forests and encounter his fabulous 

and harmless looking spirits, dragons and ghouls.

Who knows what secrets they may carry!

Carrier of Secrets and Mysteries

Meeting of Forest Dragons

Under the Gaze of the Glorious

March of the Exiled

Upside-down World of the Optimistic

On the Banks of Broken World

Ghouls of the Forest Deep

Hope in the Future

 King of the Hermits

 Forever my Fellow

 The Flood brings Curious Encounters

All things turn to Brilliance

Depero Deco

In the fall of 1919 the eclectic futurist artist Fortunato Depero (1892-1960) founded the Casa d'Arte Futurista,

a studio-workshop in Rovereto where with the help of his newlywed wife Rosetta he designed and produced

a vast quantity of toys, decorative objects, graphic designs, tapestries and furniture. 

The decorative tapestries and cloth-marquetries were designed by Depero 

and then put together by Rosetta and a group of women workers under her direction.

Fortunato and Rosetta during their first two-year sojourn in New York. 

She is holding the famous Bolted Book.

 Chiocce con pulcini, relief, 1913-15 

 Complesso di uccelli tropicali, sketch, 1918

 Orsi

Topi, intreccio a croce, 1920

 Scimmia, 1920

Serpentello, 1923

Pellicano paradiso, 1923

Macaco

 Quattro serpenti, 1925

In 1925 Depero took part with a personal room in the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs

 et Industriels Modernes in Paris, a very important exhibit of industrial and decorative arts

 which introduced the Art Deco movement to the world.

Pesci

Drago

Gallo, 1937

Birds, decorative frieze, 1952-53

In his later years, Depero revisited many themes from his previous works.

In 1957 he founded his own museum in Rovereto, the Casa Museo Depero, 

which after a long restoration finally reopened to the public in 2009. 

You can find a wealth of photos from the museum at designboom.