100 Illustrators that all Illustrators should know: #73
Ralph Steadman (1936-)
Country:Â Britain
Famous for: Hunter S. Thompson collaborations, Rolling Stone, NY Times
Influenced: Gerald Scarfe⊠Unsure of who else, since the style is so solitary and enigmatic.Â
Influenced by: Gerald Scarfe, Rembrandt, Picasso, Francis Bacon, Possibly Ronald Searle,Â
Ralph Steadman is a British artist, illustrator and satirical cartoonist, best known for his collaborations with American author and Gonzo Journalist, Hunter S. Thompson. Born in Wallasey, Cheshire, Steadman attended the East Ham Technical College in the 1960s, which is where he met and befriended fellow cartoonist, Gerald Scarfe. Though the two would remain close friends for some time and influenced each other heavily, they had a falling out as friends in the mid 1960s. Throughout this decade, Steadman freelanced for various publications including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Punch, Private Eye and more. In September of 1970, the short-lived magazine Scanlanâs Monthly teamed Steadman up with Hunter S. Thompson to write about the Kentucky Derby, which culminated to form a long-lasting partnership. A year later, Steadman illustrated Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Steadman is known for his eclectic and visceral stylings, influenced by feelings of anger and as a way of exposing hypocrisy and the horror of life in an explicit and satirical manner. Though others attribute his work to be influenced by drug use, Steadman said that he had only used Psilocybin once with Thompson and was âtraumatized by the experienceâ. Steadman has also worked with numerous musicians and groups, including The Who, Frank Zappa and Exodus, among others and is still working to this day.Â
