Orwell will get a neon-colored makeover within the new Penguin collection
Redesigning one of Penguin's classic titles would be a dream job for most designers, let alone the work of George Orwell, arguably England's most famous writer.
The author and social commentator's most famous work, Nineteen Eighty-Four, has been reinterpreted in recent years by everyone from designer David Pearson to illustrator Noma Bar.
The youngest artist to make his mark on the world of Orwell is Heath Kane, who was commissioned by Penguins Vintage Printing to reinterpret four of the author's best-known novels on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of his death.
Ever since Kane's subversive paintings and prints became popular with his "Rich Enough to be Batman" series, they have appeared in galleries and on the covers of magazines around the world.
Vintage creative director Suzanne Dean reached out to Kane last May to work on the series. “In the letter they were put on the concept of creating 'duality'. It has been described as an aesthetic that was inspired by two of my collections, Rich Enough to be Batman and Masks of Fear, in which I was more likely to simply put masks over faces, ”he says.
“They envisioned approaching title art in a similar way, combining two themes into one, like Stalin and Hitler for 1984, fascists and anarchists or press and lies for homage to Catalonia, rich and poor for down and out in Paris and London. and Stalin and the pig for the animal farm. "
Kane was already one of his favorite books and felt instantly connected to Animal Farm. “At the time of Brexit, I was doing a work called Animal Farm in which I covered David Cameron's face with a pig mask, which I saw as a symbol of the disruption that soon resulted from the referendum. It didn't take time to align my work with Suzanne's concept by putting a pig mask on Stalin that Orwell himself had introduced, ”he says.
The other titles took longer to adapt to the duality theme without the series feeling formulaic. When it came to reinterpreting nineteen eighty-four, Kane decided to enlist the help of his Instagram followers and ask them what crossed their minds as they thought about the novel.
"(Most of them) came back and said the all-seeing eye, with a few exceptions," he says. “A number of people came back and said room 101, which immediately reminded me of the rat in the cage. I was surprised to discover that no one has ever used the direction of the rat, as it fits perfectly with the dystopian view that Orwell takes of life in 1984. "
Tribute to Catalonia
For the homage to Catalonia, Kane found a stunning photo of Marina Ginesta, a 17-year-old communist militant from the Spanish Civil War in 1936. "It felt really iconic of the class struggle and the struggle between Catalan nationalists and the Franco army. " he explains. "To end it, I just put an old Catalan flag with the words' Libertat! "Overlaid that could be found in a newspaper headline at the time."
While less familiar with Down and Out in Paris and London, Kane listened to the audiobook version while working on the cover. The final version refers to the theme of duality with a stacked bowler hat and a workers cap.
Down and out in Paris and London
The four individual envelopes are bound together with a fluoro color palette, including Kane's trademark neon pink. Reflecting on creating the series, the artist says, “To say this was a once in a lifetime opportunity would be an understatement.
“Orwell shaped me as he did on so many millions of others. It was a daunting task. Fortunately, my passion took over my worries. It was also exciting to know that the Orwell Estate ultimately approved my artwork as well. "
heathkane.co.uk