blix

the following caricatures are from several issues of the german SIMPLICISSIMUS magazine during the year 1912. JOE GRANT, who owned a large collection of this political publication, allowed me to make copies. his favorite artist was next to OLAF GULBRANSSON – RAGNVALD BLIX. BLIX, 1882 – 1958, was a norwegian national who lived most of his life abroad. he was a completely self-taught artist and some critics said, he was the greatest character analyst among cartoonists in his time. after a big success in paris with the magazine LE JOURNAL blix was firmly associated with SIMPLICISSIMUS in munich from 1908 to 1918. there blix was able to meet the radical political elite, the brothers THOMAS and HEINRICH MANN, HERMANN HESSE, FRANK WEDEKIND, LUDWIG THOMA, THOMAS THEODOR HEINE and OLAF GULBRANSSON. in his caricatures blix was considerably sharper in edge than the more consillatory gulbransson.

© blix / simplizissimus

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reineke fuchs

the story of RENARD THE FOX goes back to a 1498 version REYNKE DE VOS and became throughout the 16th century within the german-speaking countries a bestseller. it is the story of the mean, smart fox who always succeeds with his lies and triumphs in the end over his opponents. JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE wrote his famous version in 1794.

illustration below – WILHELM VON KAULBACH, REINEKE FUCHS ALS SIEGER, 1846 published in munich.

inspirations for the epic fox-story exist already around 1040 – ECBASIS CAPTIVI – a satire in latin language about a trial of a lion against a fox. then between 1170 and 1250 another version ROMAN DE RENART developed developed in northern france. here the smart fox triumphs as well over the strong lionking NOBLE and the dumb, greedy wolf YSENGRIN.

illustration below – a page from a 1592 publication REYNEKE VOSZ DE OLDE.

probably during the sixties KEN ANDERSON worked in the DISNEY STUDIO on a version of RENARD THE FOX, his studies below look like they are from that project. I am not one hundred percent sure, maybe someone else has some more information.

© disney enterprises, inc
© wikipedia

rowland hilder

he was described as THE TURNER OF HIS GENERATION, – ROWLAND HILDER, 1905 – 1993. you probably see the similarity between HILDER’S landscapes and the backgrounds in disney’s 101 DALMATIANS, together with RONALD SEARLE his artwork was used for inspiration. HILDER was born in long island in the US, but returned with his parents in 1915 to england, where he lived most of his life in a kentish country village. he illustrated numerous books and was a professor at goldsmith’s college school of art. someone described his style and technique as so recognisable that there are parts of England which, in tribute to his skill, seem to have grown physically like his paintings. he shares with JOHN CONSTABLE the distinction of having seen an entire region of England identified with his name and art. The description ROWLAND HILDER COUNTRY evokes a landscape as distinctive as CONSTABLE’S COUNTRY along the Suffolk Stour. That is as generous a tribute as any man could wish.

© rowland hilder

hell hall

from disney’s 101 DALMATIANS some more recreated backgrounds, cruella de vil’s castle ‘hell hall’.

© disney enterprises, inc

september mood

© bilderfabrik / kenny tai