The wonderful folks at Gestalten were kind enough to send me a review copy of Olaf Hajek's Flowerhead, and I could not be more charmed by it. This came as no surprise, as I've been a longtime fan of Hajek's pieces, and count him amongst my very favorite illustrators working today. Nonetheless, I was unprepared for the impeccable quality of the printing, as each page is as pigment saturated and vibrant as his work so richly deserves.
The monograph itself is fairly straightforward: one beautifully written yet succinct preface by Sonja Commentz, followed by 135 pages of Hajek's illustrations spanning from 2005-2009, and ending with a thumb-nailed index page with full details about each piece. In Flowerhead's case, the simple layout is a wise choice, as Hajek's work is so complex and image-laden, that the fewer distractions the better.
What is most impressive to me is that while the book contains both commissioned illustrations and personal "fine art" works, the two categories are virtually impossible to differentiate upon first glance. Hajek's style and vision are so vivid and one-of-a-kind that is doesn't matter if he's painting for the Ritz Carlton, Rolling Stone, or himself. In his world, men grow beards of neon pink flowers, school boys wear octopi on their heads, insects are adorned with ruffled haute couture ballgowns. And the color. Oh, the color! Riotous and royal, and drawn from all cultures, from the most primitive to the prettiest Parisian palettes. His work is an exercise in exuberance and abundance, a true pageant of flowers and creatures and costumes, all flowing into each other in a seamless visual medley. It's the kind of art one longs to lick. Utterly, gob-smackingly, unabashedly scrumptious.
Bravo to Gestalten for allowing so many of us to bring Hajek's work into our homes and onto our bookshelves. Our lives are all the brighter for it.
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