The Very Closed Circle

 

I've been meaning to pay tribute to this brilliant blog - from Greece - ( http://theveryclosedcircle.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/500-epilogue.html )   for a few weeks now since they announced that it was to be terminated. It's a collaboration by several talented cartoonists/illustrators/writers from Athens who got together some three and a half years to create this project. The format remained the same - ie a comic strip with four panels - but the style would be different each time depending on who the contributor was. The text is in Greek but they always provided a translation in English (and a very good one too) for audiences around the world. The stories are superb - often about small and trivial things in life but with deep philosophical and cynical undertones! Needless to say, they are also very funny! Really sad that it's come to an end and I'm sure it will be missed by many. Links for each artist from the team can be found on the blog so that you could get to see more of their work and other publications.

"The Virago Book Of Fairy Tales", edited by Angela Carter, illustrations by Corinna Sargood (publ. by Virago Press Ltd, London 1991) Part 3

 

I tried to scan some of the head lettering at the start of each story - I just love the way she incorporates a little narrative from the story into the typeface! Also a couple more  bizarre and funny spot illustrations.

Finally, here's Corinna Sargood herself on a youtube video, describing one of her recent pictures! It's fascinating to watch, as she unravels details of more and more scenes within the main picture (some of them painted on separate panels attached to it!) while telling the stories behind them...   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPMUbGjVu64

 

 

 

 

 

"The Virago Book Of Fairy Tales", edited by Angela Carter, illustrations by Corinna Sargood (publ. by Virago Press Ltd, London 1991) Part 2

 

 Corinna Sargood's work has been my inspiration ever since I saw it some twenty years ago. It's got mystery, humour, it's subversive, intelligent and, despite having some folkloric references, it is quite unique! The figures that remind me of shadow puppet theatre figurines submerge into surreal landscapes, turn into strange animals or birds and are always mischievous.

Sargood (born in Britain in 1941) went on to illustrate Angela Carter's Second Virago Book Of Fairy Tales, published in 1992. I've posted pictures from that book about four years ago - here's the link: http://picturesfromanoldbook.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/second-virago-book-of-fairy-tales.html

 

 

"The Virago Book Of Fairy Tales", edited by Angela Carter, illustrations by Corinna Sargood (publ. by Virago Press Ltd, London 1991)