I don't remember when or where I first encountered Hannes Bok, but I'm glad I did. There's something magical about fantasy art created before fantasy became a codified genre. The expectations I have are subverted, the approach the artists take to their subjects is alien, and the work generally feels exquisite in a way that contemporary artists just can't manage. It's some kind of time lensing effect. I guess.
Bok's work is just unique and otherworldly. He goes from lush color work to black and white stippling with ease. His figures are odd, almost cartoonish, like something out of a freaky children's book from two centuries ago. And I love it.
What Would I Steal?
Weird shapes, odd figures, nightmare creatures. Willingness to abstract more than I'm comfortable with.
Agree with the comfort level assessment but think that the artist also had a comfort level, considering what he didn't display in the images above. In the second picture, for example, tits pouting sideways has the frontal in turn then awash with the planetary aesthetics and natural energies - strange and yet working device.
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