Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Joseph Mugnaini (1912 - 1992)

Joseph Mugnaini - Cover illustration from
 The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury,  1972Joseph Mugnaini - Cover illustration from "The Halloween Tree" by Ray Bradbury,  1972

Joseph Mugnaini - Mr. Moundshroud, illustration from The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury, 1972
Mr. Moundshroud, illustration from "The Halloween Tree" by Ray Bradbury, 1972

Joseph Mugnaini - Mr. Moundshroud, 
interior art for ''The Halloween Tree" 
1972Mr. Moundshroud, interior art for ''The Halloween Tree" 1972

Joseph Mugnaini - Mr. Moundshroud, version
 2, interior art for ''The Halloween Tree" 
1972Mr. Moundshroud, version 2, interior art for ''The Halloween Tree" 1972

Joseph Mugnaini - illustration from The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury, 1972
Illustration from "The Halloween Tree" by Ray Bradbury, 1972

Joseph Mugnaini - Witch illustration from 
The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury, 1972Witch illustration from "The Halloween Tree" by Ray Bradbury, 1972

Joseph Mugnaini - House illustration from
 The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury,  1972House illustration from "The Halloween Tree" by Ray Bradbury, 1972

Joseph Mugnaini - The Halloween Kite, 
1972The Halloween Kite, illustration from "The Halloween Tree" by Ray Bradbury, 1972

Joseph Mugnaini - The Halloween Kite, 
1981The Halloween Kite, 1981

Joseph Mugnaini - The October Country by 
Ray Bradbury, 1955"The October Country" by Ray Bradbury, 1955

Joseph Mugnaini - The October Country by Ray Bradbury, (cover version two) 1955
"The October Country" by Ray Bradbury, 1955

Joseph Mugnaini - Modern Gothic, 
1952Modern Gothic, 1952

Joseph Mugnaini - Modern Gothic, 1952, 
printModern Gothic, 1952, print

Joseph Mugnaini - Carnival, original 
painting, 1952Carnival, original painting, 1952

Joseph Mugnaini - Carnival, 
1955Carnival, 1955

Joseph Mugnaini - The 
LeviathanThe Leviathan, from the portfolio "Ten Views of the Moon", authored by Ray Bradbury, 1981

Joseph Mugnaini - The Hound- from the 
portfolio "Ten Views of the Moon", authored by Ray 
Bradbury. 1981The Hound, from the portfolio "Ten Views of the Moon", authored by Ray Bradbury, 1981

Joseph Mugnaini - A Martian Town, 
1981A Martian Town, from the portfolio "Ten Views of the Moon", authored by Ray Bradbury, 1981

Joseph Mugnaini - The Dragon, 
1981The Dragon, from the portfolio "Ten Views of the Moon", authored by Ray Bradbury, 1981

Joseph Mugnaini - A Tower on Mars - from 
the portfolio Ten Views of the Moon, authored by Ray Bradbury, 
1981A Tower on Mars,  from the portfolio Ten Views of the Moon, authored by Ray Bradbury, 1981

Joseph Mugnaini - The Tower, designed for
 the "Ylla" chapter of the 1974 edition of 
"The Martian Chronicles"The Tower, designed for the "Ylla" chapter of the 1974 edition of The Martian Chronicles

Joseph Mugnaini - "The World of 
Ray Bradbury" Stage Show Poster Art"The World of Ray Bradbury" Stage Show Poster Art

Joseph Mugnaini - Illustration from 
"The Martian Chronicles" Illustration from "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury

Joseph Mugnaini - Second Illustration 
from "The Martian Chronicles"Illustration from "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury

Joseph Mugnaini - Polyphemus, illustration for Thomas Bulfinch's, ''The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes'' 1958
Polyphemus, illustration for Thomas Bulfinch's, ''The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes'' 1958

Joseph Mugnaini - Minotaur, illustration for Thomas Bulfinch's, ''The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes'' 1958
Minotaur, illustration for Thomas Bulfinch's, ''The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes'' 1958

Joseph Mugnaini - Pan, illustration for 
Thomas Bulfinch's, ''The Age of Fable or 
Stories of Gods and Heroes'' 
1958 Pan, illustration for Thomas Bulfinch's, ''The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes'' 1958

Joseph Mugnaini - Beowulf, illustration 
for Thomas Bulfinch's, ''The Age of Fable or 
Stories of Gods and Heroes'' 
1958Beowulf, illustration for Thomas Bulfinch's, ''The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes'' 1958

Joseph Mugnaini - Apollo and the Dragon, 
illustration for Thomas Bulfinch's, ''The Age
 of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes'' 
1958Apollo and the Dragon, illustration for Thomas Bulfinch's, ''The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes'' 1958

Joseph Mugnaini - Medusa, illustration for
 Thomas Bulfinch's, ''The Age of Fable or 
Stories of Gods and Heroes'' 
1958Medusa, illustration for Thomas Bulfinch's, ''The Age of Fable or Stories of Gods and Heroes'' 1958

Joseph Mugnaini - Baroque With Red Mama, 
1971Baroque With Red Mama, 1971

Joseph Mugnaini - Baroque, 
1968Baroque, 1968

Joseph Mugnaini - The Praying Mantis 
Vehicle. 1970The Praying Mantis Vehicle. 1970

Joseph Mugnaini - Illustration from "War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells,  1964
Illustration from "War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells,  1964

Joseph Mugnaini - Illustration from "War of the Worlds" by H.G Wells, 1964
Illustration from "War of the Worlds" by H.G Wells, 1964

Joseph Mugnaini - Illustration from "The Time Machine" by H.G Wells,  1964
Illustration from "The Time Machine" by H.G Wells,  1964

Joseph Mugnaini - Illustration from "The Time Machine" by H.G Wells,  1964
Illustration from "The Time Machine" by H.G Wells,  1964

Joseph Mugnaini - The Metaphor, 
1968The Metaphor, 1968
Joseph Mugnaini - The Hero, 1968
The Hero, 1968

Joseph Mugnaini - The Market, 
1955The Market, 1955

Joseph Mugnaini - Confrontation, 
1953Confrontation, 1953

Joseph Mugnaini - The Tower, 
1956The Tower, 1956

Joseph Mugnaini - The 
WallThe Wall


"Joseph Anthony Mugnaini, born in Italy, though he moved to Los Angeles with his parents when he was still an infant. Although respected for accomplishments in other areas, Mugnaini is best known for his long association with Ray Bradbury, who regarded him as both a friend and the best interpreter of his work. As a result, he did the covers and interior art for several first editions of Bradbury's works, as well as related projects like illustrations for a 1962 cartoon adaptation of Bradbury's story "Icarus Montgolfier Wright" (May 1956 F&SF) and the cover for the May 1963 "Ray Bradbury" issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction – a painting of Bradbury flanked by iconic images from his stories that was later reused as the cover for Jerry Weist's Ray Bradbury: An Illustrated Life (2002).

Mugnaini's first Bradbury painting is probably his most famous – an image of a grieving man, dressed in newsprint and surrounded by flames, that graced the cover of the first edition of Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (coll 1953) and has reappeared on several later editions, most recently a 2012 trade paperback edition. Other memorable efforts for Bradbury books include his painting of an old woman walking with a lizard past a series of tall houses for The October Country (coll 1956), playful renderings of containers of medicine for A Medicine for Melancholy (coll 1959), and an elaborately decorated number "22" on a barren field with dead trees for the omnibus Twice 22 (omni 1966). For many, Mugnaini's trademark style – an elongated human figure against a minimal or symbolic background – is indelibly linked with Bradbury's fiction, explaining why his covers and interior art are still being used for recent editions of his works. Still, it should also be remembered that Mugnaini did provide evocative covers for a few books by other genre writers, including Robert Crane's Hero's Walk (1954), Theodore Sturgeon's A Touch of Strange (coll 1958), and Louis Charbonneau's No Place on Earth (1958). In his later years, Mugnaini focused more on writing instructional art books, although he did publish a compilation of his artwork in 1982, featuring a foreword by his greatest admirer, Ray Bradbury. [GW]" - quote source

Most artworks found in auction listings from the estate of Ray Bradbury at NatedSanders.com

1 comment:

John said...

This is an excellent gallery of Mr. Mugnaini's work. My favorites are his cover for "The October Country" and "Modern Gothic". I love his angular lines and the style that epitomized some of the -- dare I say it -- avant garde work that was being produced during this period (Richard Powers comes to mind, as well). Your research has yielded some great results.