Cosmic Horror in Art
Closely tied to the literary works of H.P. Lovecraft, cosmic horror is a subgenre of horror that explores the human experience in the face of forces that surpass comprehension. According to Lovecraft, human nature implies the existence of a primordial fear of anything that the human mind is unable to conceive. Thus, confronted with creatures and forbidden knowledge that transcend human understanding, humanity is forced to awe-inspiringly accept how insignificant its existence is in relation to an eternal, boundless universe. Works of Lovecraftian fiction, such as “The Call of Cthulhu”, featuring divine entities that defy human logic, dismantle the idea of an anthropocentric view of the cosmos.
Cosmic horror, as shaped through Lovecraft’s perspective, has inspired numerous artists, from writers to visual artists and musicians. Below are only a few creators who have drawn inspiration from the author’s fantastical universe.
Raulo Caceres
Raulo Caceres is a Spanish comic artist known for his work with Avatar Press. He has collaborated closely with Warren Ellis and has created cover art for legendary creators such as Alan Moore. Many of his works are within the realm of horror, with several of them drawing material from Lovecraft’s otherworldly universe.
Paul Lehr
Paul Lehr’s art flourished during the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in the realm of science fiction book covers. Employing a more symbolic approach to the supernatural, Lehr crafted abstract compositions that resemble a dream-like state rather than any sort of tangible reality. Many of his works dealt with the concept of cosmic horror through strange and uncanny scenes unfolding in a mysterious universe that was beyond human reach.
Suguru Tanaka
Suguru Tanaka is a Japanese digital artist. His works depict nightmarish worlds and colossal creatures, with a strong use of the color red that imparts a raw, organic feeling to his surreal landscapes. By creating the impression of a giant, alien world where human influence is completely absent, Tanaka takes the concept of cosmic horror a step further, glimpsing into a forbidden unknown.
Tanaka’s works are available on his personal accounts on Tumblr and Twitter.
H.R. Giger
Much has been written and said about H.R. Giger, a pioneer in the field of science fiction and the creator of the iconic extraterrestrial creatures of the Alien franchise. His visual art, initially created with an airbrush and later using inks, combines the organic human body with mechanical elements, a style known as biomechanical. His works depict body horror and sexual deviation, while many of them create surreal compositions where cosmic terror is expressed through their foreign, otherworldly nature.
Zdzislaw Beksinski
Zdzislaw Beksinski was born in 1929. Starting his artistic journeyin the field of photography, he captured human bodies and faces, creating expressionistic and surreal images. Soon disappointed by the limitations of the medium, Beksinski began to explore painting in the 1960s. His works, complex, intricate, and large in scale, depict the surreal environments of a dark dystopia marked by the presence of death and a sense of suffocating terror that transcends human logic.
I wish to paint in such a manner as if I were photographing dreams.
-Zdzislaw Beksinski
Sources:
Frank, J. Paul Lehr: Unexpected Rhythms. Available at: https://neotextcorp.com/culture/paul-lehr-unexpected-rhythms/ (last accessed 29.05.2023)
Gerakiti, E. (2023). The dystopian surrealism of Zdzislaw beksinski. Available at: https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/the-dystopian-surrealism-of-zdzislaw-beksinski/ (last accessed 31.05.2023)
Lovecraftian Art. (2018). Available at: https://www.hplovecraft.com/popcult/art.aspx (last accessed 27.05.2023)
Meirick, C. (2021). New and Classic Cosmic Horror Art You Need to See to Believe. Available at: https://www.scarystudies.com/cosmic-horror-art/ (last accessedς 29.05.2023)
Stuart, K. (2014). HR Giger: artist whose biomechanical art had vast influence on game design. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/may/13/hr-giger-died-artist-game-design-biomechanical-surrealist (last accessed 29.05.2023)