Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The Catoplebas: Chapter 19

Copper sheet, copper wire, nails
From Borges-
"At the close of the Temptation of Saint Anthony, Flaubert describes it and has it speak this way.... 'It wallows in the mud, and its legs are smothered under the huge mane of stiff bristles that hide its face' ... 'No one, Anthony, has ever seen my eyes; or else those who have seen them have died. If I were to lift my eyelids-mu pink and swollen eyelids- you would die on the spot."

This is the most terrifying mask I've ever made. It scared me a bit when I put it on. Because of the space between nails, the wearer can see out just fine, but you're hard pressed to see the creatures eyes through all that. He also makes the most amazing sound when you shake your head.

5 comments:

  1. very very very quite amazingly cool and wonderful. Also distinctly Clive Barker or Neil Gaiman at his creepiest.
    Brava!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Sophie! I didn't realize it till afterwords, but he is very reminiscent of The Corinthian, of Gaiman's.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi,
    I stumbled upon your site while google searching catoblepas. I've searched for catoblepas images before, never quite finding the image in my head. I must admit I had settle for an altered depiction of a wildebeest (which sounds fairly logical if you compare it to similar depictions from animals unknown at the time like the kangaroo or the rhino) but that still didn't echo the words relayed to us by Borges.

    The true meaning of the Catoblepas' terrible sight became clear when I saw your mask and the "stiff bristles that hide its face". Within the reasonable wearability of a mask you have captured the essence of a Catoblepas and, after browing around your site, from many more fantastic beasts, all their features dignified for a wearer to become them, not mock them. Does that make sense to you?

    Not being an art connaisseur I can only tell you my opinion based on my deep liking of Borges' works and my longtime fascination with mythical beast from the classics (sorry for JKR, but CGI does not make a basilisk more terrifying that the sole idea of a basilisk).

    Kudos on your amazing project, I am happy I got to glance briefly through it.

    Greetings from Mexico!

    ReplyDelete