Riding the tortoise

'Tortoise Ride' by Meg Hunt

Virginia Frances Sterrett, illustration for Old French Fairy Tales (1920) by the Contesse de Segur (via 50watts). The story illustrated is that of Blondine, a princess lost in a forest due to the actions of her wicked step-mother, where amongst other adventures, she meets a great tortoise who offers her protection and to lead her out of the woods so long as she will sit on her back silently, without asking a single question, for six months. Another French fairytale has a princess who rides a tortoise- Babiole, but only when she has been cursed and turned into a (well-educated) monkey.

'A Monkey Riding on a Tortoise' (1821) by Katsushika Hokusai

Which makes me think of Monkey, Sun Wukong riding the giant tortoise during his epic Journey to the West, and then I am reminded that I promised you more of Awazu's turtles, some time ago. Here are but a few:

'QUARTIER PARCO -A' (1973), Advertizing Poster, Silk-screen by Kiyoshi Awazu

(1978) Public postet, offset, by Kiyoshi Awazu

(1980) Public postet, offset, by Kiyoshi Awazu

(1975) by Kiyoshi Awazu

Japanese Psychedelia

I don't know about you, but lately, I'm all about the Japanese psychedelia. Maybe it's because I was reading A.S. Byatt's novel Babel Tower, set in the sixties, and followed that up with an anthology edited by Haruki Murakami. Two excellent blogs are feeding this habit: A Journey Around My Skull and pink tentacle.

Consider these details from the work of Japanese graphic designer Tandanori Yokoo:


Tadanori Yokoo, Marie in Furs, 1968, detail


Tadanori Yokoo 1965 silkscreen detail
(oh, printmaking, and a hand... how could I resist?)

Tadanori Yokoo 1965 silkscreen detail

{via A Journey Around My Skull }

Or these posters by underground graphic artist, Aquirax Uno.

Keiko’s at Marubutsu Department Store, 1967


Sailor 21 Gold Fountain Pen, 1968

{via pink tentacle}


Beauty and Beast, from Idea 315

{via Tara Sinn, where you can also find an interview with the artist and more risqué images.}

Here are some pages from a non-narrative manga from November 1967 "A Dream To Have In Heaven” (Tengoku De Miru Yume) by Maki Sasaki. {also via pink tentacle}




I am totally in love with this image:

Kiyoshi Awazu, poster for fashion tenant building, 1973

I would like that as a giant wall mural.

You should look at his website! Firstly, it is one of the best artist websites I have ever seen, and secondly, there is hardly a medium which remains unrepresented during his prolific career. I think you will be seeing more of him around here.

I leave you with:

Tsunehisa Kimura, 1968, commercial and industrial photography ("Give Us Back Man")

{again, via A Journey Around My Skull}