THE DECADENT ART OF MAHLON BLAINE GALLERY NO. 1

"Infinitely gracious, radiantly beautiful,

Aphrodite rose from the foam. 

All life loved and laughed, and begot new life in tender play...."

- Mahlon Blaine (Nova Venus, 1938)

Somewhere between the erotic, the pornographic and the intersection of fantasy lies the strange art of Mahlon Blaine. A prolific illustrator of over 2,000 published images, his work spanned the gamut from children's books to sexually-controversial images. He produced covers and illustrations for Edgar Rice Burroughs stories, John Steinbeck's first novel Cup of Gold, Voltaire's Candide, The Adventures of Sinbad, Paul Verlaine's Hashish and Opium, Flaubert's Temptation of St. Anthony and German fantasist, Hanns Henz Ewer's Alraune, among many others.

Mahlon Blaine (1894-1969) is probably best known for his sensational, erotically-charged illustrations and decorations that depict decadent images of diabolism with a generous amount of sexual imagery that oftentimes border on the perverse. Despite his obvious talent, it is just these types of images that probably made him one of the most underrated and underappreciated artists of his time.

Called Blaine's "erotic masterpiece", Nova Venus was published in 1938 in an edition of 300 copies that included 38 original plates showing "naked predatory women with cloven hooves and tails, devils, [and] lots of interesting imagery showing Blaine’s comments on social mores and sex".

Following are sample images from Nova Venus that will provide those unfamiliar with Blaine an idea of his illustration technique and frequent subject matter.

Here is a LINK to an interview with Blaine's biographer, Roland Trenary, at Archive Storycorps.