CARTOONARAMA: CHARLES OGLE, FRANKENSTEIN 1910

There's a new "gadget" I've added to the blog, over there on the right-hand side of the page, called CARTOONARAMA. Of the cartoons, drawings and paintings I've been doing lately, many have been of actors and various portrayals.

My painting is of Charles Ogle as Frankenstein's monster in the very first telling of the tale, Frankenstein (1910) produced by Edison's company. Ogle appeared in over 200 silent films, and the images of him in his gruesome make-up as the monster tantalized horror film fans for years, as the film was thought lost until the mid-1970's. "Edison's Frankenstein" is now available on DVD, and has been bootlegged and available on the internet.

I guess I was struck by the mask-like qualities of the make-up in the famous photo I based the cartoon on, and so it appears as a mask floating in blackness. The cartoon is acrylic on canvas, measuring 16x20. Actors and their characterizations that I've painted that I'll post in the future include Lon Chaney, John Barrymore, Laurel and Hardy, Peter Sellers---just doodles of actors and famous faces that inspire me...

Text and original image (C) Mark Redfield.