Boris Artzbasheff's "Diablerie" drawings

I mention Boris Artzybasheff on Boing Boing every chance I get. The ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive just posted a bunch of incredible illustrations from the "Diablerie" chapter of his 1954 book, As I See.

World War II was a prime era for political cartoonists. Passions ran high, and the whole world was at stake. We've already looked at Arthur Szyk's "The New Order"... Today we look at more of Boris Artzybasheff's amazing illustrations from As I See.

In his introduction to the chapter entitled "Diablerie", Artzybasheff writes:

"Let's sing hosannas to men this day, for theirs is the triumph of wit! In their long search for better tools and weapons, men at last have found the way of locking a pinch of cosmic force in a sheath of silver-white metal... as well as the means for making it go boom. Any time they wish, or think they must, men can touch off an orgasmic flash, making the oceans boil and seethe with fire, making the soil rise up in crimson dust... Perhaps after the cloud drifts thrice around it, the earth will emerge once more free of living things... In the hush of night this comely planet will go on waltzing in its ordained orbit until God awakens from His sleep and resolves it back to the primordial elements.

I try to shake this thought off; it may be that a healthy planet should have no more life upon it than a well-kept dog has fleas; but what posesses the flea to concoct its own flea powder?"

Link

[#1 posted by Takuan , June 11, 2008 2:06 PM]

Yoink! This is mine now!
"I try to shake this thought off; it may be that a healthy planet should have no more life upon it than a well-kept dog has fleas; but what posesses the flea to concoct its own flea powder?"

[#2 posted by siliconsunset , June 11, 2008 2:30 PM]

I've used this entire quote as the main portion of my MySpace (shut up) page for over a year know (however long it's been since I first noticed Mark post about Boris with this quote). I love the fact that most people read it and start slowly backing away. Well, it's probably also to do with the photo of a large bald man wearing a suit of babies...

[#3 posted by noen , June 11, 2008 4:59 PM]

This is great stuff, I love it. But, even though I don't have a lot to say about these please keep 'em coming.

[#4 posted by Jeff , June 11, 2008 7:09 PM]

Wow. The first thing that came to mind--these are visual equivalents of Archibald Macleish's great radio plays of the late 30s--"Air Raid" and "Fall of the City." Available at the Internet Archive; they're really something:

http://www.archive.org/details/OrsonWellesOnTheColumbiaWorkshop