Julian Callos Illustrates Mindbending Scenes, Confused Zombies and Pop Culture Portraits [Art]

Amidst witty portraits of characters from Arrested Development and The Royal Tenenbaums, Julian Callos dances with dreamy illustrations where flowers are as potent as suits of armor, sea creatures fused with human bodies and galaxies intruding into unexpected spaces. Plus, he has a few clever takes on the zombie apocalypse.

Callos' style is amazingly versatile. He can turn a fine caricature, as he does with poor sad Buster Bluth on his mechanical seal. He does some wonderfully cartoony crowd scenes: Battle Royale staged inside the classroom, zombies attacking a mannequin, drunk people attack a taco truck as if they were zombies. But his real strength lies in the magical scenes he creates.

Callos experiments with visual language, and the results are these lovely, perplexing illustrations that beg to have stories written around him. It's never easy to figure out just what's going on inside them. Is the bloody-mouth woman who is hugging someone in the snow seeking comfort or looking to slake her thirst? Are the two men hanging out in space in their boxers voyagers in their own imagination? Are purple brambles wrapped around that girl's body for fashion or protection? Callos' pieces offer no easy answers, but instead invite you to explore every corner of the piece in search of narrative clues.

You can follow Callos through his Tumblr account or on his blog.

Filed Under: art, illustration, Julian Callos, JulianCallos

Categories: Art, Culture