SKETCH: ANGEL WINGS(01 of13)
Open Image ModalThese are the original sketches that started the obsessive project of The Resurrectionist. I began with a premise that the wings were real… if so, how would they work? What would be needed, anatomically, to allow for the physics of flight? I quickly realized how challenging it would be to make them appear convincing. Dr. Black postulates that along with different anatomical structures, the mythical creatures he studied possessed physiological differences that allowed them to be so extraordinary.
SIREN OCEANUS 1(02 of13)
Open Image ModalThe obvious difficulty with creating a mermaid is the complexity of the skeletal and muscular systems. I couldn’t find adequate references for fish anatomy, so did my own dissecting. I used a large salmon to explore how the muscle tissue was layered and joined to the bones. From there, I slowly designed the mermaid’s structure. I tried to estimate how the human pelvis and the fish pelvis would relate, from an evolutionary standpoint. This is, of course, what Dr. Black attempts as well: Though he believed he had seen actual specimens, his work still involved much guesswork.
SIREN OCEANUS 2(03 of13)
Open Image ModalThe mermaid raises physiological, as well as physical, questions. Do they breathe air like a dolphin, or are they water-breathers like fish? Dr. Black considers a species which possesses a hybrid respiratory system that allows water to pass through lungs, then through the gills where oxygen is absorbed. When above water, the lungs would operate normally. This system allows the mermaid to surface, speak, and of course sing her fabled song of seduction.
SIREN OCEANUS 3(04 of13)
Open Image ModalThough Dr. Black only focused on the anatomy of one particular species of ocean mermaid (Siren oceanus), he wrote about some potential variations. How might these creatures have evolved? Given what we know about the importance of display in terms of mating, defense and so on, one might argue that a species of primate reverted to the water, but maintained a human-like appearance as a means of attracting prey or a mate. Countless animals evolve with elaborate displays and false images, even imitating the shapes of other creatures. So why not believe in mermaids?
DISSECTION REFERENCE(05 of13)
Open Image ModalThis dissected hand is one of many plates drawn by the artist and surgeon Joseph Maclise (1815-1880?). There is a sadness and beauty all woven together in his work. This was one of my inspirations not only for the technical execution of nineteenth century medical illustration, but also for the esthetic of that time period. I imagined that Dr. Black held his pencil lightly and took great care in his work. He labored over the details and obsessed about minutia that other scientists overlooked. Spencer Black believed he was unveiling the most important truth humanity could ever know, one drawing at a time.
SPHINX 1(06 of13)
Open Image ModalWhat walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening? A human being, as an infant, an adult, and an old man with a cane. In myth, failure to answer that sphinx’s riddle resulted in instant death.It’s interesting that Dr. Black chose the sphinx for the first chapter of his codex. He finds it somewhat profound that a fundamental truth of human existence is obscure enough to serve as a riddle. The doctor tries desperately to discover the truth of our ancestral link to these mythological creatures.
REFERENCE: LION(07 of13)
Open Image ModalHere’s a page from An Atlas of Animal Anatomy for Artists by W. Ellenberger, H. Dittrich & H. Baum (Dover), originally published in 1901. I admire the exhaustive detail in this book, and relied heavily on it for anatomy research. In my own work I wanted to emulate the care and attention given to the essence of the animals, which is so prevalent in this image of a lion.
SPHINX 2(08 of13)
Open Image ModalWith the development of the musculature, the animal starts to come to life. I feel as though the lift-to-weight ratio is particularly acceptable with this winged animal. The balance of the creature is especially elegant—it’s one of my favorites. Many older scientific illustrations show facial expressions on the cadavers; I gave mine some expression as well. It adds another dimension to the image.
SURGERY ROOM(09 of13)
Open Image ModalThis is an image taken of a surgery room in the Toronto General Hospital, 1913. Though the time period isn’t the same as The Resurrectionist, I used it for inspiration rather than technical detail. It has the industrial, functional beauty that modern designers are still trying to get right, coupled with a stark, cold feeling. I imagined this would be the kind of lab where Dr. Spencer Black would do his work. I often envisioned him performing mundane tasks during the drudgery of his day job, waiting eagerly for the sun to set so that he could carry on with what was truly important to him.
SATYR(10 of13)
Open Image ModalHere we see the satyr (fawn-child) as it was dissected on Dr. Black’s table. Dr. Black found this cadaver of an unfortunate child born with the appearance of a satyr at a traveling carnival show. That discovery eclipsed his conventional scientific thinking, and marked the beginning of his obsession with mythological creatures. Dr. Black takes great care to do this dissection correctly. He works alone and in private for months. By the time he’s through, he’s convinced that this specimen holds the secret to humanity’s past and future.
DISSECTION THEATER(11 of13)
Open Image ModalAndreas Vesalius was the founder of modern human anatomy. This is the title page from his book, De Humani Corporis Fabrica, written in 1543. Though the anatomical drawings throughout this book are striking, the title page is what stuck with me. I envisioned the chaos and struggle involved with medicine in the past. My book takes place 300 years later, but in that time period there were still clashes between religion and science over the sacred associations of the human body. The challenges presented for a conventional surgeon in past centuries were great. Imagine what an extremely unconventional surgeon like Dr. Black would have had to endure.
HARPY(12 of13)
Open Image ModalAnd so we come full circle to the problem of depicting a winged human. This is the artwork that is on the cover of The Resurrectionist, and it’s my favorite creature. I can imagine this animal fully realized: powerful, majestic with an unholy hunger. I image the terror its prey would feel if this thing was real. I portrayed more details about this animal than any other creature in The Resurrectionist, due to both its distinct appearance and its key role in the story.Like ordinary birds, the harpy has air sacs throughout its body and inside its bones, which help facilitate breathing and cooling. As unique and interesting as this creature must have been, I think the harpy was very much like a vulture; large, powerful, opportunistic, unpleasant, and yet amazing.
(13 of13)
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