Conclusion
The task, or the chore, is always the same: one must read and think, then read and think some more, and when lots of reading and thinking have been done, one must burn a candle to Saturn and draw.
- Virgil Burnett, "A Note and Nine Illustrations"
Virgil Burnett’s work as an illustrator deals with themes that explore the delicate nature of human existence in a changing world. Burnett’s images interrogate and interpret the text they illustrate. The themes that guide his work document the material and immaterial elements and incongruities of human civilization. He depicts stolid medieval subjects, yet his work demonstrates the timelessness of art and graphic design. His work combines fantastical imagery with historical allusions and images of decadence to illustrate the revolutions of material degeneration and spiritual redemption recurring throughout human history.
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| Cover, "Illusion One," Geoff Hancock, Illusion: Fables, Fantasies, and Metafictions (Toronto, Ont.: Aya Press, 1983) |
Cover, "Illusion Two," Geoff Hancock, Illusion: Fables, Fantasies, and Metafictions (Toronto, Ont.: Aya Press, 1983) |