Alessandro Ripane’s Humorously Grotesque Illustrations

All that should look solid melts right off in the compositions of Alessandro Ripane. Many of his characters have a mass of dripping liquid with plants protruding in all directions in lieu of real faces. Other figures sprout plants from their limbs while their gleaming white bones peek through. Yet these morbid compositions manage to keep a whimsical twist; in some, giant pink ice cream cones drip heavily. Genoa-born Ripane remembers collecting comic books and volumes on wild animals, a habit that definitely informs his strange imagery. Each vignette gives the sensation that the viewer is walking in on the strange characters. A couple cuddling becomes a strange mass of plants, melting parts and mangled flesh. But not all is lost: Ripane makes sure to let one of the figures keep his socks and shoes on. Part Surrealism, part satire and all visceral, Ripane's works leave few parts intact but offer plenty of visual gems.

All that should look solid melts right off in the compositions of Alessandro Ripane. Many of his characters have a mass of dripping liquid with plants protruding in all directions in lieu of real faces. Other figures sprout plants from their limbs while their gleaming white bones peek through. Yet these morbid compositions manage to keep a whimsical twist; in some, giant pink ice cream cones drip heavily. Genoa-born Ripane remembers collecting comic books and volumes on wild animals, a habit that definitely informs his strange imagery. Each vignette gives the sensation that the viewer is walking in on the strange characters. A couple cuddling becomes a strange mass of plants, melting parts and mangled flesh. But not all is lost: Ripane makes sure to let one of the figures keep his socks and shoes on. Part Surrealism, part satire and all visceral, Ripane’s works leave few parts intact but offer plenty of visual gems.

Topics

Alessandro Ripane, digital art, drawing, illustration

Aditya Pratama, illustration, Sarkodit

April 27, 2015

Aditya Pratama aka Sarkodit is an Indonesian illustrator who creates surreal, multi-layered paintings where figurative forms unravel into dreamlike scenarios. Everything becomes fluid, and familiar characters shape-shift in a variety of ways. Inspired by cinema and storybooks alike, Pratama's work has a strong narrative component to it, though the colorful, elaborate shapes he paints can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Ordinary situations, like reading a book at a park, are not what they seem and even inanimate objects can come alive with colorful personalities.

Stuart Holland’s Eerie Charcoal Drawings

drawing, Stuart Holland, surrealism

October 2, 2018

In Stuart Holland's charcoal drawings, reality is questioned through massive architecture and solitary figures. There’s both a cerebral and magical quality to these scenes, vague in its ties to actual reality. The gray values in his drawings, whether rendering abstract or geometric forms, add to their psychological nature.

Allen Linder’s Drawings of Alien Forms

Allen Linder, drawing

May 6, 2015

While Allen Linder's main pursuit is marble sculpture, his drawings of organic, otherworldly shapes contrast greatly with the precise forms he carves from stone. In his graphite works on paper, murky, cloud-like spheres seem to come together and pull apart. They unravel into abstract shapes that at once appear macro and micro, recalling both cell formations and the galactic patterns from outer space. Linder expertly renders both liquid and solid textures in these nebulous works.

Toma Vagner’s Dynamic, Instructional Illustrations

graphical, illustration, Toma Vagner

September 14, 2017

Russia-born, New York-based artist Toma Vagner crafts dynamic, graphic-filled illustrations. Her works seem to combine the formalism of how-to guides with dynamic staging and absorbing messaging. Or, as the artist tells us: “My inspiration comes from Japanese bubble gum wraps, IKEA manuals and Russian Constructivism.”

Alessandro Ripane’s Humorously Grotesque Illustrations

Aditya Pratama’s Whimsical Illustrations are Filled with Shape-Shifting Characters

Stuart Holland’s Eerie Charcoal Drawings

Allen Linder’s Drawings of Alien Forms

Toma Vagner’s Dynamic, Instructional Illustrations

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