Jacques Callot

I've told you I've started reading E.T.A. Hoffmann and feel strong sympathy for him and his work. Well, he dedicated one collection of stories to an engraver of the early 17th century: Jacques Callot. Hoffmann wrote a short essay on him and how he loves his work. He describes that, by looking longer at Callots pictures, they start coming to life. All these thousands of figures then start to stride out of the deepest background, where they were difficult to recognize at first.(1) Hoffmann so titled the collection “Fantasy Pieces in Callots Manner”.

Reason enough for me to take a closer look on the work of Mr. Callot. And indeed, I can understand Hoffmann. To be more precisely, I clearly see how a lot of the characters in his stories are influenced by Callots style. It's like suddenly finding the pictures I had in my mind while reading Hoffman, reappear in faces and figures of Callots works. Following are a view pictures I photographed. Straight away out of the book, so please don't mind the quality. (2)

I need to create grotesque characters too. So I certainly will make use of Callots works. But more in an inspirational way, as I will try to transport the style of his figures to the present.

However, I hope I will be able to show you stuff within my next post. Because it is more then time to come up with some real visual elements and boards for the animations.

1 – Hoffmann, E.T.A: Band 1 Fantasiestücke – Elixiere des Teufels. S.7, Frankfurt am Main, Insel Verlag

2 – Callot, Jacques; Schröder, Thomas(1971): Druckgraphik. S. 870 – 1673, München, Rogner & Bernhard Verlag