Bernie Wrightson - The Edgar Allan Poe Portfolio, 1976

"One of the first paintings completed for the Edgar Allan Poe Portfolio was 'The Pit and the Pendulum'. Wrightson experimented using an impasto technique -- painting with very thick, broad strokes. The colors were very dark, being made up primarily of blacks, and browns. When the painting was finished, it was then varnished with a high gloss to protect it. The result, when lit by the printers' lights was a glare making it impossible to reproduce. When informed of the technical limitations of his painting, Wrightson painted a second version which was dominated by great areas of dark green. Wrightson's original idea for the 'Pendulum' painting can be seen in the photograph of Jeff Jones as the hapless victim of the Inquisition. Wrightson painted Jones chained to a cold concrete slab awaiting the blade of the pendulum." - quote taken from Christopher Zavisa's monograph on the artist, Berni Wrightson: A Look Back, page 251.

Jeff Jones was mentioned here on Monster Brains a few months ago regarding the artist's unfortunate passing.

The Pit And The Pendulum
"I saw clearly the doom which had been prepared for me..."




I was only able to find a few examples of the original paintings to compare against the portfolio prints, you can see the color differences between the original painting of Murders in the Rue Morgue and its printed version below.

Murders In The Rue Morgue
"As the sailor looked in, the gigantic animal had seized Madame L'Espanaye by the hair..."



The Tell - Tale Heart
"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! - tear up the planks! - here, here! - it is the beating of his hideous heart!"

The Back Cat
"She fell dead upon the spot, without a groan."

The Premature Burial
"The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and the other begins?"

Masque Of The Red Death
"Seize and unmask him - that we may know whom we have to hang at sunrise, from the battlements!"

The Cask Of Amontillado
"For the love of God, Montressor!" "Yes," I said, "for the love of God!"

Descent Into The Maelstrom
"...I began to reflect how magnificent a thing it was to die in such a manner..."



The excellent Golden Age Comic Book Stories recently shared the Wrightson Poe prints, you can see slight color variations in those posted there.