The Art of Mœbius

by Mœbius

Paperback book presenting and discussing the art of one of the world's most highly regarded fantasy artists. Illustrated throughout in color and black and white. Published by Berkley Books and Byron Preiss.

Genres: Art, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Bande Dessinée, Sequential Art

92 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1989

About the author

Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (pen-name: Mœbius) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer, who worked in the Franco-Belgian bandes dessinées tradition.
Also published as Jean Giraud.

Reviews

[Kalai Vaanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect introduction to the universe of Moebius. A pictorial book.

[J.R. Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uma excelente antologia.

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

The Art of Moebius, published in 1989, is a collection of some comics and paintings from Moebius, or Jean Henri Gaston Giraud if you like. There's even an introduction by George Lucas, though short.

In his typical style, many of the illustrations here feature strange characters in even stranger worlds. Dream-like, sci-fi, fantasy. That's the style he's popular for. He's incredibly creative and imaginative. All the pieces here are accompanied by his own captions.

As Newsweek has put it:

For pure visual delight, there's Jean Giraud. His nearly wordless narratives unfold the logic of M.C. Escher.

Just like optical illusions of Escher, his art evokes the same feeling of enchantment. It's a very cool art book whether or not you're a fan of Moebius.

You can check out more work from Moebius at www.jeangiraudmoebius.fr.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fabulous -- so much art, so many great details in the text that puts the art in context and shares Moebius's philosophy. But at only 90-odd pages, this is way too short. Is there a new book that covers his work in more exhaustive detail? If not, there should be.

[Curtis · Rating 2 out of 5]

A small handful of really beautiful images were not quite enough to make me really enjoy this book. Maybe if I was already a big Moebius fan it might have interested me more. What it did was show me that, at his best, Moebius' artwork is as legitimate and impressive as any other visual artist of his time. Condense this down to the 10 best pages and I'd have been begging for more. Beyond those pieces though, there wasn't a lot here for me.

Still, with that being said, an impatient man of words like me was never going to get the most out of something like this, which will surely appeal to those who lean more towards the visual than the literary, or have a better understanding of artistic technique. I'm just not one of those people really and, generally, my appreciation and understanding of art is boiled down to that first impression of whether it strikes me or not. It's rare that anything really does, and a few images did here, my favourite being the full page one with the red background and the anxious looking man.

And luckily, I don't really give a damn what George Lucas has to say (I think he's a bit of an idiot really) but if I did I'd have been sorely disappointed that the 'introduction' by him, advertised on the cover, amounts to a single paragraph of the blandest comments that anybody could ever make about anything. It fell just short of 'I heartily endorse this event or product'.

[Squeeb (Jake) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book served as a nice introduction to Moebius and his work. I was always vaguely familiar with it but had never actually gone out of my way to ingest it, but now I have! I definitely will check more of his work out at some point, I really love his art and his inspirations. My favorite aspect of this book were the little blurbs written by him and his thoughts on various projects and recalling memories, etc. It really helped bring his work to life once you got a bit more of his personal perspective on things. Of course this isn’t the most comprehensive book ever, but it was a nice way to get myself familiarized with his work.

[Nuno · Rating 2 out of 5]

The small format of this edition didn't help showcase the art - I believe the original would have been larger. Also the colours were a bit strange... I did like the intro to get to know about the period when the stories were written and some bio on Moebius. I'd read some assorted stuff of his throughout the years but not that much. I did however fail to become captivated by the "different" way of telling a story showcased in the "Garage Hermétique" series. I'm curious to read more from the artist but won't be rushing to get a book of his...

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading his reflections on his work like "I love this drawing [a futuristic woman running in an empty void] it reminded me of feelings I had visiting California." But also noting small things that don't break a drawing but are technically incorrect, or personally unsatisfying. Seeing his rough sketches beside the finished works is really inspiring, too. One I'll return to.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's great about this book is that it provides detail not only about Moebius but also his thoughts on his own art. However, I don't think it showcases his best work nor his humorous side.

[Timbe · Rating 2 out of 5]

The CMYK color alignment was off on most pages

[Jamil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Seven Pesos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't read any of the text.

[Luke Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moebius makes good art baby !!

[Alexander Lisovsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Артбук Мёбиуса с различными иллюстрациями художника (многие из которых не относятся к комиксам напрямую), с любопытными комментариями, авторскими и другими - о смысле той или иной картинки, о творческом процессе, разных деталях, особенностях и т.д.

Есть и мини-биография (по 1989-й год), выдержки из блокнота с набросками, а также немного около-абстрактных картин Жана, которые он рисует "в качестве хобби", "для души". Вполне стоит полистать при случае.

[David Monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

RIP Moebius (Jean Giraud)