"Edgar Gets an Idea" Edgar Allen Poe and His Raven

Once Upon a Midnight Dreary, While I Pondered, Weak and Weary.....

The first image that pops into most people's minds when Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem "The Raven" is mentioned is a sinister black bird. I knew that if I was to create images of the Raven, I would eventually do a print about Edgar.  

Poe’s tragic early life was filled with death, fear, and abandonment. By the age of six, he refused to go anywhere near a cemetery for fear of evil spirits and ghosts. In "The Raven," Poe explores several topics that are found throughout his career, including the heartbreaking death of a beautiful woman at a young age, and the grief of the young man for his lost love. The motif of the "devil-beast" as the omen of despair and grief, appears in the form of the raven. In "The Raven," the blackbird stands as the essence of grief caused by loneliness and separation and the vision of a ghostly presence. "The Raven" is a poem written by a man who had lost so many loved ones, and he was soon expecting to lose his wife to tuberculosis. 

When Poe was writing this poem, he actually considered another talking bird, the parrot. Some say he also tried out an owl before settling on the raven. In Poe's 1846 essay "The Philosophy of Composition," Poe wrote that the raven, as "the bird of ill-omen," was "infinitely more in keeping with the intended tone." This poem catapulted Poe into international fame. "Nevermore", 1897 by Paul Gauguin is one in a steady stream of examples of artists, writers, and musicians influenced by Poe's masterpiece. 

NEVERMORE by Paul Gauguin 1997

Despite this critical acclaim, Poe died broke at 40 years old. His death remains a mystery. Theories of his death include poison, mugging, alcohol, rabies, brain tumor, pneumonia, or murder.   No death certificate was ever filed, and a local newspaper reported Poe’s cause of death as "congestion of the brain,"

Original 2011 version

The original plate was damaged, so I had to re-make my plate. New 2020 Version

I wanted to introduce a bit of humor to my image. In the photos I found of Poe he always seemed so sad, I exaggerated that sadness and gave him a look of utter confusion. I actually merged Poe's face with Bob Newhart's face. Newhart was a master of the confused look, and he was one of the greatest comedians. 

comic genius Bob Newhart

Poe’s hair was shown as chaotic in the old photos, I simply organized it to resemble Ravens. Most representations of Poe and The Raven show the bird as small. I wanted it to dominate the image. Within the Raven’s eye is a reflection of Poe.

My Narration:

Here, Edgar Allen Poe struggles to find a symbol for his fear. A large Black Bird suddenly swoops overhead tossing his hair into disarray. Poe stops and takes one long look at Raven. Then this ebony bird beguiling his sad fancy into smiling*, and he suddenly recognizes his new antagonist.

*(Lines 43 from THE RAVEN

"Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,")

EDGAR GETS AN IDEA:  Black, Graphite Gray, Blue Black or Brown ink, Etching, Hand pulled, limited edition 5 inch x 7 inch 2012, 2020

Talking Raven: Nevermore

https://youtu.be/rIX_6TBeph0

Here is the 40" x 60" painting I did in 2013 based on my etching. It has a new home in California now.