Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Wilhelm M. Busch 1960


These glorious Busch illustrations from 1960 were published in the German book "Ein Mensch", humorous verses by Eugen Roth.
I picked out just a few, the ones that show rich attitudes. They remind me of great animation key drawings, when you can tell what the character is thinking and how he is feeling.

Just look at the first one. How could you depict a simple situation like this one any better?
A restaurant guest is being served a meal. The waiter's pose says: Here you are, mein Herr!
Perfect pose! The guest looks like he might have been waiting for a little while, he is so looking forward to this meal. Human behavior beautifully observed in real life.

Another favorite is the scene in the shoe store. The way the customer straightens out, then looks down on to this new pair of shoes. The sales person's attitude is typical and priceless.
This stuff is graphic gold!














7 comments:

  1. Wow, those are masterclasses on staging. Did you know if Busch draw from people he saw on the street and that's what we are seeing? This style seems so full of vivacity, like it was made right on the moment. Thank you for sharing about those wonderful draftsmen!

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  2. He depicts these little everyday scenes so dynamically. :D Tagging along with Alfred von Cervera there, are these drawings quick observational sketches (that just capture people's attitudes perfectly) or did Busch put some imagination in there too?

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    1. These were done out of his head, but also from memory. He kept endless sketchbooks which he then referred to later.

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  3. Terrific!!

    Besides the great staging, and the terrific poses, he had an amazing skill on the line use. I´m surprised how he give subtlely importance to the elements through the line value.
    Thanks.

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  4. Great post!

    You have to see this video Andreas. (If you haven't already)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmPmpUTr22c

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  5. Cool! looks like it's sculpted with wire.

    It's so organic you could irrigate it and get some grass.

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