the bloody chamber
The illustrations for the Folio Society edition of The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter are a new visual contribution to the collection. The rich language, grotesque characters, and multiple meanings that can be found in the book motivated me to search for a novel way to approach image-making by exploring visual motifs and themes.
The mystical wintery environment of the Company of Wolves set the tone and mood for the entire series. In each image I created an environment that simultaneously shows past events, the present moment, and subtly hints at what is to come. I focused on the surreal qualities of the stories and attempted to make a unique contribution to the collection and avoided illustrating what is described in enough detail through language.
The Bloody Chamber Frontispiece This illustration is a visual entry into the book. The scene is from the point of view of the main character and foreshadows events in the narrative "He stripped me, gourmand that he was, as if he were stripping the leaves off an artichoke". The succession of mirrors portrays the dramatic events from the young bride's point of view and invites the reader deeper into a dark psychological and physical space.
Puss in Boots In this illustration Puss witnesses the first appearance of a beautiful lady that is the object of his master's desire. Because the story is told from the point of view of the Puss in Boots, the lady appears to have cat-like features and the evil character assumes the traits of a rat. Because of the stories' parallel with the Barber of Seville I included theatrical details like the backdrop, curtains, and costume details.
The Lady of the House of Love This illustration focuses on the "Princess of the Night." I incorporated visual elements like the Transylvania landscape and her vampire ancestors alluding to her various possible origins. It is somewhat unclear whether she is standing or lying down, in front of the tower which also resembles a casket. The ambiguous nature of the character is shown through the mysterious elements included in the piece, leaving room for the viewers' interpretation.
Company of Wolves This illustration is a visual exploration of the darkest parts of the Angela Carter’s storytelling about a werewolf's transformation happening before our eyes (the eyes of a teenage girl in the forest). The repetitive forms of the trees pierce the snowy virgin
