Artwork & Words © Richard Ewing all rights reserved

Artwork & Words © Richard Ewing all rights reserved

Sunday, July 8, 2012

IF ...suspend

Benito Mussolini worked hard as dictator of Italy to have his totalitarian regime live on for decades only to find his power suspended -being out voted in 1943. With WWII concluding Il Duce was captured attempting to escape to Germany, summarily executed and then hung upside down at an Esso gas station in Milan for all to see.
what fell out of his pockets at the time remains a mystery to this day...

© Richard Ewing. All rights reserved
© Richard Ewing. All rights reserved
© Richard Ewing. All rights reserved
© Richard Ewing. All rights reserved

© Richard Ewing. All rights reserved
Thank you, and enjoy.

14 comments:

  1. Such horrid atrocities during this timeframe. Of course, one could look around today and say that not much has changed – at least in some parts of the world. I like your limited use of color on this piece – and the outline and drop shadow are particularly nice (and graphic). It's very cool how the image seems to lift off the page. You have a substantial series of dictators and politicians. When will we see your history book?

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  2. Oh yes, a history book! What a great idea! Amazing how much damage and horror a single man has caused in so many places in history. Or perhaps there is always a shadowy group behind each man pulling the strings. In any case, wonderful and creepy image. Those lifeless arms give me a bit of a shudder.

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  3. I agree with everything Mardi and Cindy said. Perfect for "suspend". I also realized that I've gotten behind on your posts and really like your moon painting too!

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  4. I like the suspended above the paper drop shadow effect which seems cut out or photo shopped..but somehow know that it is a painted effect and that you wouldn't have done that...I know.

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    1. Thanks Rod.
      and yes, you're right. No cutting and no Photoshoping; it's all paint and drawing ~and much more work than expected, but I like the effect.
      .

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    2. Il Dulce! Il Morto!
      Rick, you always provide a nice history lesson with your equally nice illustrations.
      The drop shadow effect reminds me of the first assignment that I got from Dick Oden.
      Did you borrow some of Amy's old frisket?

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    3. Thanks Dave,
      no, no frisket.
      I did use a bit of masking fluid here and there.
      I like your pet-name for Mussolini, however I think only his mom and his lover, Clara would have called him 'Il Dulce'...
      ~I doubt anyone at the Esso station was using that label then, 'Il Morto' is much more apropos and far funnier.
      .

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  5. I like your Spiderman thumbnall, too.

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  6. A nice tension between the lifelessness of the body, gravity and the bulk of the head and torso.
    The pull of the line work is enjoyable to look at. And thanks for the history lesson.

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  7. excellent as always; yep, I'm with Mardi, the spiderman thumbnail rocks!

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  8. A bit grusome, but you've really nailed "SUSPEND." (I'm not sure there will be many more hanging corpses this week!) Always love how you so effectively tie the IF themes in to your work, and such interesting posts. Also appreciate seeing the process.

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    1. Thanks Mit,
      Yeah, every once in a while I pull out a gruesome angle for the prompt, and typically it goes a bit quiet on the comments side of the post, but this one seems to have jumped that hump a bit...
      .

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  9. There is a lot of weight to the illustration and yet the cut-out effect seems to suspend and reduce the weight..as it does the subject matter.

    not many can get away with illustration an event as gruesome as this one ans still make it enjoyable!

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