Monday, October 08, 2012

DEVIL MASKS


Here's one of my favorite Devil masks. Lots of kids in my old neighborhood had it. It was made of thin rubber and sold for a price that even us kids could afford.

Like many of the best masks, it doesn't try to look natural. It has a painterly, sculptured look. I wonder if the original was carved out of wood. 


Above, three great Devil masks. The last one on the right is particularly interesting because it depicts Lucifer as a thug. Usually he's portrayed as super intelligent...a sort of Moriarity who wins by cunning. Here he's a mindless bully, a yob, a lover of violence for its own sake. It's a new take on an old subject.



Whoa! A Nicholas Cage devil mask (above)...but my source says it's African.


Here's (above) Adolphe Menjou as The Devil.


And here's (above) an Ernie Kovacs devil. All it needs is a cigar.


This devil in drag mask (above) is from Peru. The artist apparently sees The Devil as a nice guy, someone you could joke with.


...Or maybe not! Above, more Peruvian devils, this time looking very fierce.



6 comments:

  1. Modesto: Haw!

    Mike: Thanks! I changed the spelling!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous2:07 AM

    Or this songs : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcEZjYfBzYQ
    but less scary...

    ReplyDelete
  3. These are wonderful. Masks, I loves 'em.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The first one from the peruvians: I´ve heard it was some sort of caricature of the first europeans they met...

    ReplyDelete