You know, I forgot how much I love Mark Ryden’s work and the creeps they give me, till last week when I was working on one of the layouts for John O’Sullivan’s poems (this poem anthology they’re actually letting me put together at Qube).
His paintings have such much detail and are so vividly-realistic, you’ll want to visit that world, even though the subtle creepiness of its denizens unsettle you. There are furry creatures you’ve never seen, settings and situations you can only dream about.
He’s describes as a “pop surrealist”, which is quite succinct, if a little trite. The term seems to bring to mind bright Andy Warhol-colours, which is different from Ryden… his colours are more of a muted palette. Muted, but still rich. I know I contradicted myself there, but I’m not sure how to describe it. Whatever it is, the colours come together beautifully.
There’s also a lot of undertones going on, so it’s fun to see what references/allusions you can pick up amongst the wide-eyed, not-so-innocent children. Religion, satire, current affairs… they’re all there.
So, if you never knew what exactly “macabre” meant in this peachy-pink world, just visit Mark Ryden’s gallery and by the end of it all, you’ll know.
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official website: http://www.markryden.com/
his bio on his site: http://www.markryden.com/biography/index.html
his bio on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Ryden
his site is pretty comprehensive. you can find a number of interviews he’s done under the PRESS section. They make for interesting reads.
