Normally I wait to post my comics until Iāve found some historic background for the images Iām ripping off turning into jokes. Yes, the artists I draw from have been dead for centuries, but it feels more generous to provide some context as to why theyāre so laughably bizarre (or in this case, just downright bad).
Sadly, I couldnāt find anything to explain whatās happening in this illustration. I do know when it was made, and where, and possibly who the artist was. The image is taken from a hand-drawn account of the exploits of Alexander the Great, written (and presumably drawn) by Thomas de Kent in Plantagenet England, circa 1308-1312.
Thereās also not a lot I can say about Thomas de Kentās work itself, mostly because the manuscript is not accessible online, and the only translations that exist are from Old French (the original language) into modern French, neither of which I speak. So I have no clue whatās happening in the picture, why the two characters look like emojis, or why their bodies both defy biological explanation (just look at thatā¦ side butt??)
What I do know about Thomas de Kentās work is that chunks of it simply could not be translated because they were so poorly scrawled that they were almost impossible to decipher.
I love this little factoid, because it probably means that, despite this being a lengthy work created by a professional illuminator, itās just kind ofā¦ not good? And someone else (not the artist) hung onto an old manuscript with wonky penmanship and goofy illustrations for literal centuries.
Thatās a long way for an illustration to travel to be a punchline, but hey, Iād love for my panels to be talked about centuries from now, even as a joke.
And to be fair, FACES ARE VERY HARD TO DRAW
Iām clearly not the only one who struggles. Adam and Eve were notoriously hard to draw:
Mary, Mother of God:
These shards of stained glass, which look a bit like my most used emoji roster:
Adam and Eve, making another appearance:
Lets be honestāfaces and arms and legsā¦ and treesā¦ and birdsā¦ ALL OF THEM, HARD TO DRAW
So hard.
Love your creations, my dearsāyou never know whoās going to be looking at them (or when).
All my love,
š¤Becca Lee, Haunted Librarianš¤
I laughed out loud through this whole thing!!! Also, can we note the serpentās ringlets?!