Taxidermied: The Art of Roman Dirge

Taxidermied: The Art of Roman Dirge

Details: Category: Book Reviews; Written by James Ferguson; Published on Monday, 24 October 2011 02:38

"Taxidermied: The Art of Roman Dirge" Book Review

Written by James Ferguson

Published by Titan Books

Written and illustrated by Roman Dirge
2011, 112 pages
Book released on September 20th, 2011

Review:

My wife and I recently purchased our first home and we've been faced with a dilemma that I'm sure many other young homeowners have run into: What do we put on the walls? As an adult, I'm not supposed to cover the place with movie and comic book posters. Fortunately there are artists like Roman Dirge out there that provide excellent pieces as seen in his art book, Taxidermied, that are at least a talking point for guests and at most something that would make unwanted guests a little uneasy.

Dirge draws creepy things. He draws ones that slither, ones that have been cut apart, and ones that have been crudely sewn back together again. He does all this and still manages to make it more art than gore. Although some of the content can be a little unsettling to the average reader, it's handled with a bit of finesse and a great sense of humor.

This over-sized art book contains a variety of Dirge's work, ranging from early sketches, to portraits, to stuff you'd see on t-shirts at Hot Topic. All of it is presented with a dark comedic tone. For example, my favorite piece is a cartoonish image of a young girl with the caption "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands," but she doesn't have any. Dirge also provides the titles for almost all of the pieces as well as brief comments on some of them, explaining where they came from or why he drew them.

Taxidermied is an interesting art book and certainly one that I'd like to keep on my coffee table for the unsuspecting guest to pick up. It's a great conversation piece. I just wish there was more to it, but I guess this is what art books are supposed to be; a collection of images by the artist showcasing just a sample of their work.