Illustrations for Wolfgang Kubin’s Book
After illustrating a Theodor Storm volume, I was invited to work on another book: Wolfgang Kubin’s Das Buch der Zähren: Swatower Oden, Wiener Elegien (The Book of Tears: Swatow Odes, Viennese Elegies). The project means a great deal to me, both because of the author and because of the challenge. Even its title asks something of the reader. ‘Zähren’ is an old poetic word for tears; Swatow, odes and elegies are hardly everyday terms either.
When I began designing the cover, I felt it needed considerable force. Not everyone was immediately convinced, but the initial scepticism soon faded. The illustrations follow the same line of thought.
Another challenge was reproduction in black and white. Much of my work depends on colour, and not every painting survives that change. Nevertheless, I assembled more than fifty possible works. The publisher’s pleasure in the selection made the work all the more enjoyable.
I submitted three kinds of images for review: horizontal works, vertical works and details. Taking a detail out of a larger painting seemed a promising approach. Here are some examples.
Swatow
The first part of the volume concerns Swatow, now Shantou (汕头), and the city’s painful wartime history. Its sombre tone mattered to my choice of images.
But the second part of the book is about Vienna and that is of course a completely different world.
For this reason alone I didn’t want to use any images that were too illustrative. As before, I wanted to address the general mood of the book and remain vague as to the content.
The author and I have grown quite close over the past year, and since we each value each other’s work, it was particularly important to me to provide good material. Even if the publisher or I ultimately make the choice, everyone involved should of course be happy with it.
I will choose fewer horizontal images because I fear that if they are greatly reduced in size, they will lose a lot of their appeal.
Finally, two vertical examples.
When I wrote this in January 2023, the book was not yet in print. The published volume is listed by BACOPA.
Putting it all together was quite a lot of work, but it was fun 🙂
An Extra: Mitsuko Uchida Plays Mozart
Mozart hardly needs an introduction, but a performance can still come as a welcome discovery. I have long enjoyed listening to Dame Mitsuko Uchida, and her Mozart sonatas remain a pleasure. If I were to paint her interpretation, I would imagine a clear, babbling brook in spring. Enjoy!
Related articles: Two Book Covers and One Dragon · Cover for a Book · New Works for Old Series
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