Barlowe's Inferno

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing
Review: Having read Dante's Inferno, a visual description is hard to render. Mr. Barlowe has done just that. He has painted the hard to desribe. One look through this book and you will be "disturbed." Mr. Barlowe has taken the ideas of different religions and beliefs in rendering his "Inferno." Having caught a "glimpse" of what awaits those that do wrong in the afterlife, one sees the visual deterent to doing wrong. This book is a must see.

Rating:
Summary: Stylish, but not terrifying
Review: I almost feel bad saying that this is anything less than perfect. To be sure, the paintings are very moody, well executed, and distinctive. Barlowe fans will want this in their collection for no better reason than that this is a very good example of his talent. However, given the subject matter, I was somewhat disappointed.

One of the major problems is that the demons and, especially, the damned tend to look more like statuary than entities proper. This can work for the demons, since they are otherworldly beings, but for the damned, the effect is that we aren't looking at people in torment, but merely strange sculptures. The expressions, in particular, are often abstracted (e.g., the one where a number of demons are dissecting a human) and often don't convey either torment or dispair. His tendancy to use a lot of blues for the damned contributes to this unfortunate effect (ironically, the sketches in the back do a much better job than many of the paintings).

The demons do come off much better, but many of them are more weird than frightful. Some do stand out, such as the Australopithecine demon, and one of the lesser demons whose clothes are made from human flesh (it is interesting that Barlowe nearly discarded the latter from the work for failing to fit in with his overall theme). Many, however, are simply too abstract in morphology to really disturb.

The architecture, however, is grand. His notion that the buildings of hell are built from the bodies of the damned is a brilliant idea, and the form of the architecture (which he terms archiorganic) do, indeed, seem to belong in a literal Hell.

Overall, I think that Expedition remains a better example of Barlowe working around a theme. When I read the text that accompanies the illustrations, I sense what he was aiming for (which is something worthwhile), but the paintings just don't quite live up to the descriptors. Even so, he is a very good artist and his vision of Hell, even if not as terrifying as I would have hoped, remains a unique and largely interesting one.

Rating:
Summary: Stylish, but not terrifying
Review: I almost feel bad saying that this is anything less than perfect. To be sure, the paintings are very moody, well executed, and distinctive. Barlowe fans will want this in their collection for no better reason than that this is a very good example of his talent. However, given the subject matter, I was somewhat disappointed.

One of the major problems is that the demons and, especially, the damned tend to look more like statuary than entities proper. This can work for the demons, since they are otherworldly beings, but for the damned, the effect is that we aren't looking at people in torment, but merely strange sculptures. The expressions, in particular, are often abstracted (e.g., the one where a number of demons are dissecting a human) and often don't convey either torment or dispair. His tendancy to use a lot of blues for the damned contributes to this unfortunate effect (ironically, the sketches in the back do a much better job than many of the paintings).

The demons do come off much better, but many of them are more weird than frightful. Some do stand out, such as the Australopithecine demon, and one of the lesser demons whose clothes are made from human flesh (it is interesting that Barlowe nearly discarded the latter from the work for failing to fit in with his overall theme). Many, however, are simply too abstract in morphology to really disturb.

The architecture, however, is grand. His notion that the buildings of hell are built from the bodies of the damned is a brilliant idea, and the form of the architecture (which he terms archiorganic) do, indeed, seem to belong in a literal Hell.

Overall, I think that Expedition remains a better example of Barlowe working around a theme. When I read the text that accompanies the illustrations, I sense what he was aiming for (which is something worthwhile), but the paintings just don't quite live up to the descriptors. Even so, he is a very good artist and his vision of Hell, even if not as terrifying as I would have hoped, remains a unique and largely interesting one.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: I'd previously thought that HR Giger could be the only artist to possibly bring the underworld to life, but now my opinion has changed. Barlowe does an excellent job, both in art and concept. Some paintings are just weird; others are plain scary. I would love to know a bit more about what went into the creation of this work - more than is explained in the intro, of course. This book is nothing like his "Guides". It's definitely not meant for someone with a casual interest in his art.

Rating:
Summary: The best!!
Review: Normally I am reserved in my reviews but this one stands out as an entity that deserves high praise. I had been researching visions of Hell for some years when this book came out. It was an exquisite find as the author's vision was finely detailed and provided a wealth of information. His Hell is different yet similar to Dore's vision which appealed to me. It is as if he took Dore's vision and placed his own ideas and concepts on top of Gustave's.

This is highly recommended. The pictures are stunning and the text adds some nice thought as well. One reviewer wrote that he thought the souls looked to much like statuary and while I do agree with that criticism it is a minor quibble and is not always the case.

Rating:
Summary: Barlowe's Inferno
Review: Sometimes I have concepts or images that I feel can never be put down on paper. Wayne D. Barlowe seems to be that certain rare indivdual that is capable of transcribing to canvas what his mind can conjure. This book is more like a photo album of the vacationing ... then a book of art. The artwork is both disturbing and beautiful.

Rating:
Summary: Barlowe's Inferno
Review: Sometimes I have concepts or images that I feel can never be put down on paper. Wayne D. Barlowe seems to be that certain rare indivdual that is capable of transcribing to canvas what his mind can conjure. This book is more like a photo album of the vacationing ... then a book of art. The artwork is both disturbing and beautiful.

Rating:
Summary: A very strange and hellish book.
Review: The book was not as good as I thought it was going to be. When I read certain passages of it at the bookstore I thought it was going to be a fictional narrative of a doomed person's experience in Hell. Instead it was more of an artists explanation about his paintings. The book still drew me in and made me think and feel about what Hell might be like. For this reason, the books ability to make me seriously think about Hell in a literal sense, I will give it four stars.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: This book is excellent. One of the most disturbing things I've ever read. And that's saying a lot. I love the little touches, like the Pikiya(the first known vertebrate) in the processin of Dis. I heard of talk of a movie, but I'm not sure how reliable the sources are.

Rating:
Summary: Chilling Look at Hell's Landscape
Review: This book is perfect for those who loved "Dante's Inferno", religious scholars, fans of fantasy paintings, or anyone who wants to see what Hell might be like. The illustrations are well done and very thoughtful (I particularly was impressed with the War Gate monument). Great book.