Vanitas: Paintings, Drawings and Ideas

by Jon J. Muth

Genres: Art

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Jon J. Muth is an American comic artist. His works include J. M. DeMatteis' graphic novel Moonshadow, Neil Gaiman's The Sandman: The Wake (along with Michael Zulli, Charles Vess), Mike Carey's Lucifer: Nirvana and Swamp Thing: Roots. Muth has gone on to an award-winning career as a children's book writer and illustrator. He received a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators for his illustrations in Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse.

He has also created a version of the Stone soup fable set in China.

Reviews

[East Bay J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't remember exactly how I was introduced to Jon J. Muth's art, but it was probably an issue of Swamp Thing or Sandman. Or maybe J. M. DeMatteis' wonderful Moonshadow. Regardless, I was immediately drawn to it. I love the ethereal quality of his images, the way you seem to be seeing them through a filter of time or distance, reality or unreality. It adds a lovely sense of mystery, allure or, in some cases, suspense.

Vanitas was the seventh in Tundra's Sketchbook Series and is essentially a collection of selected works along with some essays. It gives a nice overview of where Muth was at at the time, the wealth and breadth of the work he had produced. The couple of photo real paintings included are unreal in their execution. His concept for what he calls Ten Mile Circle, an enormous ring that could be projected on the ground or on the sky is very interesting. In all, it's a great collection of Muth's work.

Muth fans will adore this book but it would likely be of interest to artists in general and acts as a useful introduction to Muth's art. Perhaps not essential but very, very cool.