Teletrips to Wonderland

As promised, I'm back with more work by the great Nicole Claveloux.

La main verte, 1978

I first met Claveloux while visiting Paris as a teenager in one of the numerous used

 comic books I had bought at a bouquiniste close to the Boulevard Saint Germain.

The story was called The Green Hand, and I was deeply struck by its surreal,

humorously dark atmosphere and vivid color palette. At the time I didn't know 

that Claveloux was also the illustrator of many innovative, oniric and 

psychedelic children's books, as I only discovered many years later.

Le Voyage extravagant de Hugo Brisefer, text by François Ruy-Vidal, 1968

thanks to Arthur van Kruining

After studying at the Beaux-Arts of Saint-Etienne, Claveloux moved to Paris in 1966 and found work

 as a magazine illustrator. The young educator, writer and publisher François Ruy-Vidal discovered her images 

in Marie-France and introduced her to his associate, the avant-garde American publisher Harlin Quist.

They asked Claveloux to illustrate a text by Ruy-Vidal, The Secret Journey of Hugo the Brat.

The book was published by Quist in France, Germany and the US.

Alala, les télémorphoses, text by Guy Monréal, Harlin Quist, 1970

Claveloux went on to illustrate many more books for Quist, including La Forêt des lilas, The teletrips of Alala,

Hop là [...], Le Chat de Simulombula, L'Oiseau qui radote, The Bright Red Porcupine and Gare à Grabote.

From 1968 to 1973 she teamed with Bernard Bonhomme to produce illustrations for ads, 

theater posters, record covers and children's books.

Alala, the main character of this fantastic tale which takes place in a futuristic setting, is a rebellious

 little girl who has the power to enter the television set and change the course of the programs. 

 The fact that Alala's father is a black prince and her mother is white shocked the American public,

and Quist claimed that the book cost him 88% of his audience.

Gertrude et la Sirène, text by Richard Hughes, Harlin Quist, 1971, thanks to Ang Wyman

Gertrude is a wooden doll who endures in silence the abuses of a little girl so that she can sleep 

every night in her cozy bed. One day a mermaid enters their lives, and after many adventures

 and troubles Gertrude eventually leaves and discovers her freedom. This book was followed by 

L'Enfant de Gertrude, in which the abusive relationship between the child and the doll is reversed. 

These two rather dark and haunting stories focus on the desires, frustrations and cruelties of chilhood,

while the ending gives hope of a real encounter between the two protagonists.

Les Aventures d'Alice au pays des merveilles, Grasset, 1974

This edition of Lewis Carroll's classic is another masterpiece of psychedelic imagery.

thanks to Alicenations for its post on this book

To date, Claveloux has illustrated a hundred books for numerous French publishers 

including Éditions des Femme, Gallimard Jeunesse and Bayard Hachette Jeunesse. 

She also paints and illustrates erotic books.

Mad Men and Crazy Critters – Fun & Function

Die Lustige Woche, 1906

Julius Klinger (1876–1942) is one of my favorite poster artists ever!

This innovative Austrian illustrator, graphic designer, typographer 

and teacher was also a pioneer in the fields of branding and advertising. 

After studying at the Technologisches Gewerbemuseum in Wien, 

Klinger found his first employent at Wiener Mode magazine. 

There he met Koloman Moser, who encouraged him to move 

to Munich where he found work as an illustrator for the satirical 

journal Meggendorfer Blätter and for Jugend magazine.

Lustige Blätter, 1907

In 1897 he relocated to Berlin, where he worked extensively as a commercial artist

and contributed to humorous magazines such as Das kleine Witzblatt, 

Lustige Blätter, Die Lustige Woche and Das Narrenschiff. 

Hermanns and Froitzheim, 1910, thanks to Stefan Lukut

Bonaqua, 1910

Zoologischer Garten, 1910

Hollerbaum und Schmidt, 1910

Together with the printing house Hollerbaum und Schmidt, he developed 

a new functional style of poster that soon gained him international reputation.

Klinger's timeless designs display a very minimalist, modern and refined aesthetic 

enriched by fantasy, a strong sense of humor and the love of animals. 

Flugplatz Wanne Herten, 1912

Karikaturisten Ball, 1913

8 Kriegsanleihe (8th War Loan) propaganda poster, 1918

Palm Cigarren, 1918

Klinger promoted economy of design and a clear separation between poster art

and painting. After the end of WWI, he established a school for commercial art

in Vienna and devised some very large and comprehensive advertising campaigns 

for companies such as Tabu cigarette paper and MEM toiletries and razor blades.

These are the strongest expressions of his graphic functionalism, which relied 

on the company logo, simple geometric shapes and bold, flat colors 

to achieve maximum impact and brand recognition.

Wipag Klinger, 1923

Sadly, this story has a tragic ending. Because of his Jewish descent, 

Klinger fell victim to nazi persecution. In 1942 he was deported to Minsk, 

where he was presumably killed during the same year. For some time

his name almost fell into oblivion, but he was recently rediscovered

by many who appreciate his stylized and ultra modern approach,

and his work has been featured in numerous design blogs

including my beloved Words and Eggs and The Blue Lantern.

Gagarin

After flies, earthworms, and ants, another funny Russian video featuring little creatures.
This animated short was created by Alexjij Kharitidi at Second Frog animation group.
It won awards at Cannes, Annecy, and other major festivals, and was nominated 
for an Academy Award in 1996. Many thanks to Irina Troitskaya for sharing it with me!