To say H.R. Giger had his demons is an understatement. The man's life was fraught with troubles. He had a girlfriend commit suicide, a well-known rivalry with friend and fellow artist Salvadore Dal
í, and had a mind filled with so many horrific images that I must admit, as much as I love staring at them I would not want to spend a minute in any one were they to become a reality. I think he was as brilliant as he was disturbing, and I think the world is somehow diminished now that he's gone. And it's important when viewing his art to try and see it through the lens of his own eye: Giger wasn't painting fantasy but showing us the modern world as he saw it. Disturbing right? Take a look at this image.
The creator of the Xenomorph (and the mythology that surrounded it) from the original
Alien and
Prometheus movies died as a result of injuries suffered when he fell down the stairs at his home. He was 74. My dad often tells me that "falls take out most old people." Ridley Scott and Giger had meltdowns that became legendary on the set of
Alien, as the artist had a vision that didn't quite match up with the famed director's own and this led to much fighting and bickering and for Giger being labeled "Impossible to work with." Giger's work both graced and inspired aspects of
Species, Poltergeist 2, Alejandro Jodorwsky's
Dune, and
Batman Forever (they should have used his Batmobile design).
By all accounts, he was a quiet and subdued individual. I'd love to take a stroll in his Swiss gallery some day. I think that his art will go on to escalate in price now that he's dead and become prized among collectors in the future (even moreso than it is now). When I watch Alien and Prometheus and see the derelict spacecraft, it makes me think that what I'm looking at is something so utterly inconceivable in a human mind that it has to come from another world. I don't ever get that watching Star Trek or Star Wars. There are traces of humanity in nearly all science fiction designs. Not so with Giger. He was one of a kind, able to scare the bejeezus out of me, and was able to tap into visceral, instinctual fears that was the stuff of nightmares.
Nothing in Hell is probably scarier or creepier than what he already created, so if there's an afterlife it should be a breze for him.
ReplyDeleteThat Batmobile or "Bat Man Mobile" would be pretty impractical, though the front does somewhat remind me of the Nolan version.
Pretty amazing stuff. Hollywood is not the right place for a real artist.
ReplyDeleteArtists shouldn't have to die to become famous. What's wrong with us that we can't recognize genius or vision when it's right there - alive.
ReplyDeleteGreat of you to spotlight him, Michael.
i'm sad that he died from a fall, even though, like your Dad, i know that a lot of elderly people go out that way. Even if they don't die, a broken hip can easily be a slow death sentence.
ReplyDeleteGiger's work is both beautiful and terrifying. I'm both drawn to it, and disturbed enough sometimes to turn away.
But he was definitely one of a kind and the good thing is is that Alien, i don't think, will ever lose it's appeal.
Beautiful nightmares. I mean creepy and scary but the lines and detail were so gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWow, we lost a great one. Alien scared me, and now I know who, in part, to credit for it.
ReplyDeleteHi, Mike,
ReplyDeleteAlien was scary enough for me. I imagine that people like Giger and King (different art forms, I know)have managed to scare themselves silly at one time or another.
His nightmares are so very artistic and inspiring. They're horrible, beautiful, and thought-provoking.
ReplyDeleteHe really managed to make the world of his imagination into reality.
ReplyDeleteThis really was a fantastic post. I'm glad you shared some of this information. He was obviously very talented. Yes, a bit disturbing, too.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Giger by name, but I recognize his art. What a brilliant, unique, and yes very disturbing vision he had. It's striking what you say about the lack of the human mind in his work and the stuff of nightmares--Aliens really was completely alien, unlike Star Trek. Sure, I love Star Trek and not Giger's vision, but in the movies he worked on I can't help but watch and be very, very afraid. And not sleep afterwards.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard about his death, I kind of knew this post was coming. Creepy images, but still...
ReplyDeleteHe certainly was an amazing artist. He was a big inspiration to my bff in high school (we did art as one of our major subjects) and her art was pretty awesome as well.
ReplyDeleteI believe all true artists have their demons...and, yeah, he had more than his fair share. His work is absolutely amazing.
ReplyDelete