Legendary Monster Artist Basil Gogos

[D.D.Degg]

It is being reported that monster artist Basil Gogos has passed away.

"Some of the most iconic pieces of classic monster art were
found on the front covers of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine
throughout the ’60s and ’70s, that art no doubt responsible for
countless monster kids being bitten by the proverbial bug.
Vibrant and eye-catching, the magazine’s cover art made horror
stylish, beautiful and cool.

"Those paintings were the work of illustrator Basil Gogos,
who we’re sad to report is the latest in a long line of true
horror legends who have recently left us."
http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3459254/r-p-legendary-monster-artist-basil-gogos/

[Anglo.Saxon]

Post by D.D.Degg
It is being reported that monster artist Basil Gogos has passed away.
"Some of the most iconic pieces of classic monster art were
found on the front covers of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine
throughout the ’60s and ’70s, that art no doubt responsible for
countless monster kids being bitten by the proverbial bug.
Vibrant and eye-catching, the magazine’s cover art made horror
stylish, beautiful and cool.
"Those paintings were the work of illustrator Basil Gogos,
who we’re sad to report is the latest in a long line of true
horror legends who have recently left us."
http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3459254/r-p-legendary-monster-artist-b

asil-gogos/


Just gorgeous.It would be great to see him properly displayed at an
important gallery, meaning one that is known for its mounting, etc., and
one that would take him seriously.

May I ask the name of the character in the beaverskin top hat and black
circles around his eyes? A goofball around here has a fun TV show called
'Svenghoulie'and that's his makeup.

[D.D.Degg]

Post by Anglo.Saxon
May I ask the name of the character in the beaverskin top hat and black
circles around his eyes? A goofball around here has a fun TV show called
'Svenghoulie'and that's his makeup.

That would be The Man in the Beaver Hat (aka The Hypnotist)
as portrayed by Lon Chaney (Sr.) in London After Midnight.
Loading Image...

The low point in Gogos' life came courtesy
the United States Postal Service and their
1997 Classic Movie Monster stamp set.

Basil designed a few samples
Loading Image...
but the Postal Service didn't hire him.

They hired Thomas Blackshear and then apparently gave
Blackshear copies of Gogos' Famous Monster of Filmland
covers and told him to copy the Gogos designs they had picked.
Loading Image...

Compare the Frankenstein Monster to the Gogos cover:
Loading Image...

Gogos was a master,
check out this particularly hideous witch
Loading Image...

More Gogos images at
http://churchofhalloween.com/basil-gogos/

D.D.Degg

[Anglo.Saxon]

Post by D.D.Degg

Post by Anglo.Saxon
May I ask the name of the character in the beaverskin top hat and black
circles around his eyes? A goofball around here has a fun TV show called
'Svenghoulie'and that's his makeup.

That would be The Man in the Beaver Hat (aka The Hypnotist)
as portrayed by Lon Chaney (Sr.) in London After Midnight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lon_Chaney_London_After_Midnight_Port

rait.jpg

Post by D.D.Degg
The low point in Gogos' life came courtesy
the United States Postal Service and their
1997 Classic Movie Monster stamp set.
Basil designed a few samples
http://www.churchofhalloween.com/wp-content/gallery/basil-gogos/basil-go

gos-0059.png

Post by D.D.Degg
but the Postal Service didn't hire him.
They hired Thomas Blackshear and then apparently gave
Blackshear copies of Gogos' Famous Monster of Filmland
covers and told him to copy the Gogos designs they had picked.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91w-MIAg2zL._SL1500_.jpg

Post by D.D.Degg
http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/famous-monsters-of-filmland/56-7.jpg
Gogos was a master,
check out this particularly hideous witch
http://www.churchofhalloween.com/wp-content/gallery/basil-gogos/basil-go

gos-0047.png

Post by D.D.Degg
More Gogos images at
http://churchofhalloween.com/basil-gogos/
D.D.Degg

Thanks for this. And yes, that witch would shake the pants off any man!

[That Derek]

Basil Gogos (1939 – 2017), painter who turned movie monsters into pop art

Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic

“Famous Monsters of Filmland” cover illustrator

By: Legacy Staff

He lured monsters out of the dark and painted them with screamingly vivid hues. Artist Basil Gogos mixed realism with hallucinatory color to create some of the most memorable images of movie monsters ever illustrated.

Gogos died Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, according to an announcement made on his Facebook page. The 78-year-old leaves behind a body of work adored by fans of horror and fantasy.

He may not be a household name, but his paintings have been a part of popular culture for decades. In 1960 he began illustrating the covers of “Famous Monsters of Filmland,” a groundbreaking magazine celebrating horror movies and their fandom. His lurid paintings of stars like Vincent Price and Christopher Lee — and iconic characters like Dracula and Frankenstein — dared readers to pick up a copy.

Many of the films were in black & white, but on canvas Gogos would bathe his subjects in every color of the rainbow. He reveled in the grotesque, but somehow made his monsters sympathetic and appealing. For fans, he became the gold standard of horror illustration, inspiring many stylistic imitators.

Some fans who grew up seeing his artwork on magazines later became his patrons. Musicians in particular, like Rob Zombie, and The Misfits, commissioned him to create album artwork.

Today it's more common than ever for pop-culture horror to be seriously as art. But Gogos's paintings took that art seriously all along, making the creatures who go bump in the night fit for a gallery wall.

[Sarah Ehrett's Lesbian Love Interest]

As a kid I was given monster models. Maybe it was the glue, or maybe it was the fun of putting together and painting the monster, but I eventually had dozens of them.

When painting the model, the Gogos illustration was a guide as to what colors the monster was. Many of the monsters were only seen on late night b&w TV. Not to mention, many of the movies were filmed in b&w.

Gogos had me studying his illustrations for hours.

Reminds me of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's Rat Fink models of about the same time.