1 - Posted on 10/31/2022

Learn About the Incredible Back Story & Career of the Artist, George Ziel!

1 - Posted on 10/31/2022

This was fascinating! Thanks for posting, mate

1 - Posted on 10/31/2022

A swirling sense of mystery is very present in this beauty Ruben!

Enjoy the use of color to build the drama.

Thanks for sharing this here on CAF and Happy Halloween.

2 - Posted on 10/31/2022

The best art postings are the ones where I enjoy seeing the art, but then fall down the rabbit hole of reading more context about the piece, or the artist, or the subject, or ties to a historical footnote, or I launch into reading a new series or book. Today I find myself 45 minutes later still digesting all I have learned. George Ziel's life and work has delivered that all of that in spades. Your link led to other links, and Google search queries, and the next thing you know Phoebe Cates is in the mix. Fascinating. Thanks for sharing Ruben. And I'm so glad there are collectors and appreciators of the older uncredited paperback cover artists who are striving to compile the lists and build biographies and histories to document their work and give credit where it is due.

1 - Posted on 10/31/2022

Breathtaking piece!

1 - Posted on 10/31/2022

Ruben - this is absolutely amazing.  Thank you SO much for that link - what a compelling read (and I thought Jeffrey was joking about Phoebe Cates! :) ).  An amazing artist with an incredible story - thank you for sharing all that (and this beautiful piece) with us.

'Haunting' is certainly an appropriate descriptor for Ziel's incredible style, and it is heartbreaking what he had to suffer through as a young man.

(So was it you who won this "gothic romance cover by an unknown artist" in that auction of September, 2011? ;) )

What is the size of this piece (and was most of the rest of his commercial work of similar size)?

1 - Posted on 10/31/2022

Definitely a perfect piece to showcase tonight!  Not familiar with George Ziel, but wow, he is a master of the Gothic style.  Love the misty swirly fog effect and the spooky house.  Of course those three lurching figures in the background are super scary and do not bode well for the frightened woman, but what I find intriguing is that her own hair seems to be strangling her.  Um ... ma'am? ... RUN!!!  Happy Halloween, Ruben!!

1 - Posted on 10/31/2022

Creepers in the mist! Great use of stark contrast on this atmospheric cover! 

Happy Halloween!

1 - Posted on 10/31/2022

I know they're absolutely not related but in an alternate dimension, this is the origin story of Christina's World. I know the true story behind Christina's condition is sad (and not trying to make light of it) but the two paintings could be book-ends. 

1 - Posted on 10/31/2022

Well, I've often told people that Wyeth could be credited for painting what is the world's first Gothic Romance painting, approximately a decade before the first known Gothic paperback book cover and almost two decades before the Gothic Romance book genre took off in ernest, so I'll take that!

1 - Posted on 10/31/2022

A haunting image, this is a fantastic cover!

2 - Posted on 11/1/2022

Darkness falls across the land
The mad twitter is close at hand
Creatures scroll in search of blood
To terrorize your gothic mood
And no survivors shall be found
Without a soul, forgetting clowns
Must stand and face the hounds of Ziel
They rot inside a corporate hell

1 - Posted on 11/1/2022

This has a major Halloween feel to it and is almost timeless in its presentation. I absolutely enjoy this and thanks for sharing.

1 - Posted on 11/1/2022

Great mood and emotion on this one.

1 - Posted on 11/1/2022

Beautiful and haunting at the same time! Love it.

1 - Posted on 11/1/2022

Something small but the top highlights on the dormers really make the piece for me. They tie into the hue on the subject's hair and really balance out the overall darkness of the image.

1 - Posted on 11/1/2022

Stellar!

1 - Posted on 11/4/2022

Wow! Stunning paperback cover by George Ziel! Don't see a lot of paperback covers here, but they're very cool. This has a real House of Mystery vibe to it! The mysterious house in the background is kinda reminicent of the one used so often in House of Mystery--Kinda gives me shivers!

1 - Posted on 11/9/2022

What I'm about to say may be a bit of an oxymoron, but this is beautifully haunting.

1 - Posted on 6/3/2023

Damn good paint, Ruben. It's not into all of your collection, but it's nice and frightening! Out of the box pick!