not just gonzo art

let's talk about ralph steadman. the man makes some amazing, crazy, gritty artwork. i love the wildness of his prints. even his signature looks like a madman just barely managed to scratch it out before getting captured by the asylum. this is all part of what makes his art so great. it always looks like steadman sat down after a rave, eyes blazing, hands shaking, in front of the canvas. it's a quality i love—he doesn't hold anything back, or so it seems.

most people will recognize steadman's invention of gonzo art.

i love this stuff. but i was perusing his other artwork and i found some amazing things! namely, author portraits. these are in a different style from gonzo, which i appreciate. every artist deserves the space to change the way his brushes (or engraving tools) move across the paper.

 anaïs nin

 hemingway

 franz kafka

 oscar wilde

 virginia woolf

shakespeare

he occasionally writes little biographical stories about the person he's depicted, and they are also great. definitely go read them. especially the one about anaïs nin. 

oh, and have a great monday.