Mzgraciev: October 2011

above: A sculpture of Edgar Allan Poe by Chris Sickels of Red Nose Studio.

Few historic figures conjure up the macabre as well as the 19th century author, poet and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe. A heavy drinker, Poe was preoccupied with death, decomposition and premature burial (possibly because of his wife's early demise) and is best known for his Gothic style of fiction. Tim Burton and Edward Gorey are a just two of the well known personalities whose work is inspired by The Master of the Macabre.

above: Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

His poem "The Raven" and his tale of insanity, "The Tell Tale Heart," are two of his best known darkly romantic works and have inspired many to create art, films, housewares, jewelry and other writings as an homage to Poe.

1953 animated version of The Tell Tale Heart narrated by James Mason:

And Poe's The Raven narrated by Christopher Walken:

Artists and designers have been inspired by Poe's work for centuries. To start with, here's a look some early renderings for publications of The Raven by famous historic artists Édouard Manet, Gustave Dore and John Tenniel:

Manet:

above: One of the many lavish illustrations by Édouard Manet for Stéphane Mallarmé's translation, Le Corbeau (1875).

Dore:

above: "The Raven" was published independently with lavish woodcuts by Gustave Doré in 1884

Tenniel:

above: in 1858 "The Raven" appeared in a British Poe anthology with illustrations by John Tenniel, the Alice in Wonderland illustrator.

Jump forward to today and here are a few contemporary "Poe" pieces from various artists, illustrators, sculptors and art studios.

A watercolor of Edgar Allan Poe by goth musician and artist Marilyn Manson:

The following works are from Deviant Art and many can be purchased as prints.

By Abigail Larson:

By Twisted Synapses:

by Juarez Ricci:

by Armitage 199:

by Markdraws:

by Magnetic-eye:

Paper cut Poe by Despairisi:

A Tribute to Poe by Telegrafixs:

Nevermore Drypoint by StoryTellerF:

A caricature mini bust of Poe by Mark Newman:

Another Poe sculpture from Red Nose Studio:

The following Poe-inspired art, housewares and jewelry can be found on Etsy, click on the links above each image for purchasing information:

Poe Pop Art stencil Paintings: