This illustration by Sidney Sime, titled “The Quest of the Oof-Bird,” was created in 1897 (Atzmon 11) and is featured in his collection, From An Ultimate Dim Thule (The Idler 279). In this illustration, Sime’s ability to create a stark contrast between the light and dark aspects of the image highlights his fascination with the unseen (Atzmon 65). This distinction brings the dark elements of the image to the forefront, emphasizing the similarities between the angles of the two figures within the image, and those in their surrounding landscape (Atzmon 248). These abstract and angular shapes send the two figures, as well as Sime’s viewers, on a journey that transcends the ordinary world (Atzmon 248), blurring the boundaries between visible and invisible realms (Atzmon 64).
Works Cited
Atzmon, Leslie Chandler. Dream Work: The Art and Science of Fin de Siècle Fantasy Imagery. 2006. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.
Sime, Sidney. “The Quest of the Oof-Bird.” 1897. Jerome K. Jerome. The Idler Magazine: an Illustrated Monthly. Vol 12. Chatto & Windus, 1897, Internet Archive, p.279 https://archive.org/details/the-idler-v-13-1898-feb-july/The%20Idler%20v12%201897%20%28Aug%29-1898%20%28Jan%29%20%5Bcolor%5D/page/278/mode/2up