Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos
With the death of under appreciated fantasy artist Frank Frazetta this week, and the resulting Twitter skirmish, I decided to profile this book by another artist that is near and dear to my heart: Basil Gogos.
Growing up I was, and still am, a huge fan of Universal Studios Monsters. I remember the USA network used to show Dracula and some of these other classics late at night on the weekends. The creepy atmosphere and engaging characters held my attention from the start of the classic music to the end. I discovered the Hammer films in my twenties, and haven’t looked back since.
When I first came on the internet in the late 90s, I did a image search for some of these great characters, and made a discovery: Basil Gogos. Most of these monsters had been in black and white, and suddenly here they were in deep vibrant colors. This literally blew my mind. The figures were spot on, not caricatures of my beloved monsters from childhood, but real honest to god pieces of art.
Gogos is most famous for his covers to Famous Monsters of Filmland, but has a very diverse portfolio. He did men’s adventure magazines, a myriad of other movie posters, album covers for Rob Zombie (who also writes the forward for the book) and the Misfits,and one of the best images of Christopher Lee’s Sauromon I’ve ever seen.
This book captures these images in high quality and on nice glossy paper. There are photos of the master painter, and most interesting to me, some of his pencil drawings.
If you are a fan of the genre, or simply an appreciator of great art, I can recommend this book to you.
5 out of 5.
The Shaolin Grandmasters’ Text
Whether interested in history, old Kung Fu movies, or philosophy, this is a beautiful book to own. Filled with history of ancient China, the Shaolin Order, and other Buddhist sects, this book covers a lot of ground.
Written in a very conversational style, the book grabs the reader in the first chapter and doesn’t let go. Most of the book is based on the oral history kept by the monks of this Ch’an Buddhist sect. Kill Bill fans will appreciate the story of who Pak Mei was, and women will be glad to read about the equal rights position that the Shaolin have held for centuries. The stories of the monks fleeing the Red Army of China, and resettling in America are touching and filled with what seems to be longing for a traditional homeland, before communism, and the abuses of the early 20th Century to now.
Kung-fu fans will not be disappointed in this volume. The book details traditional Shaolin training methods, and forms of Kung-Fu, with forms and histories of these revered styles.
Buddhists hoping to read about this enigmatic sect also will have their hands full. The history, Kung-Fu, meditations, and stories in this book all come back to the most important part of these monks lives: Their Buddhism. The comparisons in the book between different sects of Buddhism, and definitions of terms are great for any novice or even experienced practitioner to teach themselves.
This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Definitely recommend it for anyone looking to learn about another culture. A bonus to buying this book is that the proceeds go to helping fund the Shaolin in the United States.
5 Namastes out of 5.
