The Tragedy of Faust 2

"Look upon this sign, symbol divine, and Satan, brood, bow!"

50 x 29 cm. Rapidograph inks on Schoelleshammer G4 illustration paper.

Faust is a man of the world, a scientist and a doctor of natural philosophy. The most well read of all men his ambitions are thwarted by the limit of human knowledge and he thirsts to know the greater secrets and mysteries of the universe. Unaware of the presence of Mephistopheles he attempts to raise various spirits and briefly succeeds in conjuring up the Earth spirit but is unable to detain it. He consults his apprentice Wagner and wanders about his laboratory, brooding and near suicidal in his driven state. Just as he is about to commit self murder in his desperation, his hand is stayed by the sound of bells in the distance.

The next night, as he studies St John, Faust is disturbed by ominous shadows. Aware there is something unusual afoot, he stands over his pentagram and raises Mephistopheles from the darkness trapping him within its boundaries. Mephistopheles, finding himself compelled to answer Faust's questions, brings forth other spirits who send Faust to sleep and free Mephistopheles.

Faust awakens, uncertain if it was all just a dream, but Mephistopheles comes to him and offers him unlimited power and understanding for twenty four years, in return for Fausts immortal soul. Faust agree's and signs a pact in his own blood. At once he demands to fly all across Europe to which Mephistophele's agree's and the two cavort across the night sky. They arrive in a drinking cellar in Leipzig where Mephistopheles's introduces Faust to the first degree of devilry, greed.

Later, Mephistopheles introduces Faust to the second degree of devilry in a witches kitchen. Faust is repulsed, but in a magical mirror he spies a vision of a fair and beautiful woman. The witch offers him a potion of rejuvinating qualities, but it causes him to pass out.

Sketch.

This was the first of the finished images I drew by the Bernie Wrightson method, and subsequently I kept it as simple as possible though I had previously drawn several smaller versions which were slightly more ambitious. The constraints of the dead line meant I had to keep some of the images as simple as possible. The two later degree's of devilry were possible candidates for further illustrations and would have been had there been more time. Like Faust I was ultimately frustrated in my ambitions, but thankfully Mephistopheles didn't offer me any diry deals!

Variants