Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is one of the most beloved and argued-about novels in the Western canon, and settling on a design aesthetic for the book has always been as challenging as its content. This week, however, Venus febriculosa pointed us to this wonderful project by Sanja Planinic, a graphic design student at the Academy of Fine Arts Sarajevo, who has created a gorgeous series of silkscreened prints portraying the relationship between Humbert Humbert and Lolita with images and text selections from the novel. The images are certainly arresting, and to our minds in many cases reflect the feel of the novel, but it’s a little bit more complicated than that. As Planinic explains, the overpowering black elements stand in for Humbert Humbert, their largeness “a way of presenting his monstrous side,” whereas the “little red childlike interventions are Lolita, only silently present as is her voice in the novel.” Click through to see some of our favorite pages, and then be sure to head here to see larger images and here to check out the project in full.
Credit: Sanja Planinic
Credit: Sanja Planinic
Credit: Sanja Planinic
Credit: Sanja Planinic
Credit: Sanja Planinic
Credit: Sanja Planinic
Credit: Sanja Planinic
Credit: Sanja Planinic
Credit: Sanja Planinic
Credit: Sanja Planinic
Credit: Sanja Planinic
Credit: Sanja Planinic