Ralph Steadman – Horned Titter Original Painting

Artist: Ralph Steadman (b. 1936)

Title: Horned Titter

Medium: Oil and ink on canvas

Size: 10.2 × 14.2 inches (26 × 36 cm)

Signed: Yes, lower left

A wonderfully anarchic original Ralph Steadman painting, depicting the grotesque and brilliantly named Horned Titter. With its piercing eyes, vivid orange horns, crooked teeth and manic expression, the creature is unmistakably Steadman — simultaneously funny, unsettling and wonderfully absurd.

The heavily worked canvas combines oil, ink, splashes and expressive marks, giving the creature an unusually rich physical surface.

Artist: Ralph Steadman

Ralph Steadman (b. 1936) is one of Britain's most distinctive illustrators, internationally famous for his collaborations with Hunter S. Thompson and the visual identity of Gonzo journalism. His best-known work includes Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72 and The Curse of Lono, alongside extensive work for Rolling Stone.

Steadman also illustrated Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island, Animal Farm and Fahrenheit 451 and created celebrated books including I Leonardo, Sigmund Freud and The Grapes of Ralph. His explosive ink splatters, grotesque characters and savage humor have made his style one of the most immediately recognizable in modern illustration.