Being a massive fan of Edgar Allan Poe for years, I was very pleased to discover the wonderful illustrations of Harry Clarke, 1889-1931. Clarke, an Irish stained glass artist and book illustrator, is surprisingly little known these days, despite being a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement and a general amazing artist. I think this a great shame, for his work is really beautiful, similar to Aubrey Beardsley but still unique. For this post I wish to share Clarke's illustrations for Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination. These are only the 24 monotone illustrations, I will post the 8 colour plates tomorrow. I really love these works; really dark and gothic, perfectly illustrating Poe's short stories. I love the contrasts between solid black and white and exquisite detail. I wonder what Edgar Allan Poe himself would think of Harry Clarke's imaginings of his stories... I for one think they perfectly embody the masterful and amazing stories of Poe.
Hope you have enjoyed these stunning illustrations as much as I do!
Best Wishes
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