Thursday, December 23, 2010

Strangest Edgar Allan Poe Art

Edgar Allan Poe's prolific career in weird fiction has resulted in a popular legacy and loyal fandom that places him right next to H.P. Lovecraft in today's curious art. Scouring the internet for Edgar Allan Poe images will open up a world filled with many great scenes of the author and his stories, but also several works that make you do a double-take.


This alteration displays the bastard offspring of Edgar Allan Poe the creature from his most famous piece, "The Raven." Clearly, Poe himself has incorporated certain features held by the mysterious black bird - and it's not a smooth transition. Consider this nightmare fuel for the still winter nights, when you may find irregular shadows flapping through the darkness, and lyrical squawking just outside the window that seems too mournful for mere fowl.


As far as figurines and statues go, Poe has outmatched Lovecraft with his action figures and busts. Few Poe items, though, are as strikingly odd as a model that combines Poe and Dr. Seuss. Poe's alignment with the Cat in the Hat is actually quite tasteful, if offbeat. While the messages conveyed by these two authors are worlds apart, they certainly share an unlikely kindred aesthetic in pure weirdism.


The award for most bizarre Poe product goes to Red Death soap, which was recently on sale from a soap maker on Etsy (it's now sold out or discontinued). While the idea of a Poe cleaner is a charming one, there's something extremely unsettling about soap named after the virulent plague in "The Masque of the Red Death."





Nothing particularly odd about this Christmas pic by MasterLudus per say, but it is the season for holiday themed strangeness, and Poe is no exception. The anniversary of Poe's birth will be coming again on January 19, in fact, so high winter provides a perfect atmosphere to become re-acquainted with tales by this horror master. For quick and easy access to Poe's best fiction, check out Dagonbytes' Poe archive or the Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe.

-Grim Blogger