27 October 2009

Ítalo Calvino

These are illustrations I made based on a book by Gonçalo M. Tavares. The book can be very surrealist and maybe, just maybe, a little Dada (if you know what I mean). If you liked Kafka you'll probably like Mr.Calvino.

The book itself is full of metaphors that can be interpreted in various ways, I made Mr. Calvino as a character who was constantly searching for something - walking alone in the streets, loosing himself in his own mind that cares about the tiniest things, maintaining a distance from everybody else - maybe he is searching for his own identity (which would be represented as the black hat and red tie).

The other one represents his relation with society in general as he thinks they are all almost mechanic people living in a programmed system (and I always think of my favorite band Oingo Boingo when I talk about the apparently perfect system). Even if he is somehow inserted in a population, he manages to keep his own though apart from all the superfluous things they want him to think - he rides his own wave that rises above all others as unique and untouchable.

There is a third illustration but due to its 3D component I was unable to scan it. I took, however, a picture which I am too lazy to check so I guess I'll do it some other day.

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