Friday, September 25, 2015

Cthulhu Fhtagn! Mid-South Effects Edition.

Over the years we've featured literally hundreds of Cthulhu idols, from one-off art projects to commercial runs with thousands of copies.  Out of all of them, this sculpt from Mid-South Effects is easily one of the best.

Not many artists have attempted a clean, stylized take on Lovecraft's creation because it's hard.  Smooth curves, mirrored symmetry, and geometric forms are some of the most difficult things a sculptor can do, because any flaws immediately jump out at the viewer.   There's no surface texture or complex organic shapes to draw the eye away from minor imperfections.  That's not a criticism of sculptors who create heavily detailed sculpts, just an acknowledgement that "clean" forms are very, very challenging.

The only thing I'm not crazy about is the out of place Elder Sign on the base.   That seems like an odd design choice.

Update: Ghost0441 pointed out in the comments that this was actually carved from wood, making it even more impressive.



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's really nice. I love art deco, and I love seeing Cthulhu idols use it. Like Legrasse's idol from the COC movie by the HPLHS.

Unknown said...

This isn't sculpted but rather carved from wood. I was there during some of it's creation.

Propnomicon said...

@ ghost0441

That makes it even more impressive. Every time I look at it I find something new to like.