Horror with a touch of dignity

Basil Gogos had the unique ability to infuse empathy and charm into the enigmatic and fearsome characters he conjured up on his canvas.

Basil Gogos (1929–2017) was a unique artist who made his mark by painting pathbreaking portraits of monsters and witches. Coating his notorious protagonists with dazzling colours and intense expressions, Gogos creatively conveyed their conduct, charisma and wicked charm. The discerning viewer could also perceive a touch of respect, empathy and dignity infused by the artist on his enigmatic and fearsome characters.

Gogos’ strong, unnerving depiction of movie brutes like Dracula, Wolf Man and Phantom of the Opera in 1960s, 70s and 80s is remembered with awe and admiration by illustrators and filmmakers across the world. Among his many ardent followers is award-winning Hollywood director Frank Darabont, known for his films like The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption. “Basil Gogos doesn’t paint pictures of monsters, and never has,” observes Darabont. “What he does is conjure their essences on canvas like a magician. More than that, he conjures our love of these subjects in a manner that defies description or analysis. How does an artist infuse an entire fan community’s love of a whole genre into his brushstrokes!”

Born in Egypt to Greek parents, Gogos and his family emigrated to America when he was 16. He attended several art schools in New York City; and in 1959, won a competition to illustrate the cover for Pursuit, a paperback Western novel. That proved to be a turning point for Gogos who originally painted illustrations for men’s adventure magazines and horror pulps. The real watershed moment of his career, though, came in the fall of 1960, when he connected with James Warren, publisher of several movie magazines, including Famous Monsters of Filmland. “I came to paint for Famous Monsters because Jim Warren asked me to do my first cover for FM,” recalled Gogos. “My rep contacted me about a job and it had to be done in a psychedelic way. Not knowing what he meant, I did what I thought it meant. It turned out to be an iconic cover. It was a pure accident that Jim and myself got together and it started a romance that lasted 30 years.”

Shadow play

While he loved monsters, Gogos recalled that he was not crazy about them initially. As time went by and his work became more involved with monsters, he began to genuinely love the genre of horror.

Gogos usually used black-and-white photographs as the starting point for his work. “Sometimes I used more than one still, sometimes just one, but always black-and-white stills…I would stare into the images for a long time and suddenly they would start changing into colour in my mind’s eye…Every painting I do is different from every painting I did before…It is a new adventure every day, so everything I do is different.”

Another strategic point for his work was shadows. “For horror portraits, you want a lot of dramatic shadows. Once you put all your values in, at a given point, you have your artistic statement made. The finish is just a matter of tightening up or rendering.” For Famous Monsters, Warren would just describe the character and leave the creative ideas up to the artist. Gogos always felt that crafting a monster’s picture was both a challenge and opportunity.

“In a standard portrait of a man or a woman or a child, you have flesh, which is normal…But when it comes to a monster, he’s full of pockmarks and burn marks and scars and flesh coming off. It gives you an opportunity to form every little crater or crevice; it’s a beautiful opportunity to have fun. I enjoy doing normal portraits, but monsters are more fun!”

Gogos would normally employ acrylic colours in his paintings for clarity and detail; and oils for depth and drama. “I use every medium known to man. Each one has its own merits.” However, he consciously never allowed colours or textures to disturb the form. “You must respect form at all times. Be careful with your lights and shadows to always bring out the form and make sure to never violate it.” Gogos also confessed to working at nights — “with coffee and peace and quiet.”

Gentle and generous

Gogos recalled that for photo reference he would often depend on his own father, Steve Gogos. “He was a terribly handsome man — very photogenic. He was in his early fifties then and could change himself to an older fella or a younger fella. And he was always ready… never said no.” Among the many professional horror heroes he painted, Gogos was captivated by William H Pratt, aka Boris Karloff (1887–1969), an English actor famously known for his main roles in horror films such as Frankenstein's Monster (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). Karloff’s on-screen presence as a horror king was magnetic. Of all the covers he created, Gogos felt Karloff’s Frankenstein’s Monster was his all-time favourite.

A gentle, compassionate and generous person in real life, Gogos passed away on 13 September 2017, aged 88. His immense contribution to the world of monster art and illustration was aptly summed up by Horror host, Dr Gangrene. “Basil was probably one of the biggest influences on the monster kid generation. Those of us who grew up in the 60s, 70s, 80s like myself and all the way up to today, there’s probably not many bigger influences than Basil Gogos and his awesome covers for Famous Monsters magazine. His art was matchless and style instantly recognisable.”

Like many others, Gangrene too was fascinated by Gogos’ colours. “You look at his artwork and you see those reds and blues, and greens and golds highlighting the monsters in a weird psychedelic way that just really worked. It brought the monsters to life and made them stand out from all the other monster magazines on the shelves... Nobody could paint images with the kind of feeling and energy that Basil did. He was really the King of Horror Art.”