커버아트의 거장 로저딘 전시 리뷰

Eyes on Dean's fantasy world

 

"Morning Dragon" by Roger Dean in 1984 [Roger Dean]

Dragons fly and islands float in Roger Dean's paintings.

The British artist, one of the greatest in the music album cover art field, enjoys creating fantasy-like scenes with waterfalls that never go dry, comical devils swarming in hell or mystical woods and jungles.

If the recent mega-hit movie "Avatar" comes to your mind as you look at Dean's works - most of them were created about 30 years before the movie was made - you are sharing the same thoughts as hundreds of thousands of others.

Even before the movie was released, people joined an online forum, raising questions about whether the movie plagiarized Dean's work. The figure grew enormously soon after the movie came out.

Many American lawyers called Dean to offer to take the case. Now rumors are spreading that Dean is preparing a lawsuit.

The 65-year-old artist, however, was careful with his words.

"At this time, I cannot talk about 'Avatar.' I'll just say that I was extremely grateful that there were so many people that recognized the similarity. I didn't know so many would remember and recognize my works," said Dean at a press conference last Wednesday.

Those in Seoul are in luck, because the original paintings of the controversial works are on display at the exhibition "Dragon's Dream" currently running at the Daelim Contemporary Art Museum in Tongui-dong, central Seoul.

This is Dean's first show in Korea and the largest ever displaying about 150 works, including those that have never been exhibited before.

"To my embarrassment, he (exhibition curator Seong Si-wan) even managed to find things I thought were long hidden," Dean said.

Dean moved house a lot in his youth, following his father who was an engineer for the British army. He had many colorful experiences, especially in Hong Kong, and cultivated a fascinating sense of imagination.

The first job he got in 1968 after finishing his design studies at Canterbury School of Art and later at the Royal College of Art was not related to cover art. He was to renovate the interior of a burnt-down jazz club. But this, unexpectedly, led to his first album cover job.

"The interior job had to be done within three weeks because there was a BBC broadcast scheduled there and there would be a huge penalty if it wasn't done. So I did it based on a design I already had in my sketchbook. They were really pleased with the result and asked me if they could have it as an album cover. It was Gun's," said Dean.

This "intriguing" job led to another and before he realized it, Dean had become a famous album cover artist who would work with many rock bands of the 1970s such as Yes, Uriah Heep and Asia.

Dean's surrealistic illustrations were a great fit for the supernatural image the progressive bands had at the time. The illustrations were usually created after long hours of discussion with band members.

"I talk with the band about what idea they want to be using. I'm not reinterpreting the music. I listen to what they say and I value what they say," said Dean.

He confessed, however, that he rarely listened to all the music on the album he worked on.

"Once, I spent a week with a band in Vancouver and they played their song for me over and over again. But l still don't even remember which song it was," he said, chuckling.

Dean's original works are now a popular collection for museums and a bestseller at art auctions. The work "Relayer," for example, goes for over $2.5 million (3 billion won) in the U.S. art market.

"Basically, I only paint three to five paintings a year. So when I sell them it's a great honor. But I definitely feel happier when millions of people can actually see and buy my albums, books and posters," he said.

Other than album covers, visitors can also find various logos and labels by Dean, such as the one he created for the familiar game Tetris, at the exhibition.

The exhibition runs through June 6 at Daelim Contemporary Art Museum in Tongui-dong, central Seoul. Tickets range from 1,000 won to 5,000 won. For more information, call (02) 720-0667 or visit www.daelimmuseum.org

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young