The Models at The Art of Harryhausen, Tate Museum, 2017

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I went to visit the Ray Harryhausen exhibit at the Tate Britain Museum in November. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect but I knew there was a few models and paintings from Ray's inspirations. Bellow are photos with some notes I have made from my close observations of the stop-motion puppets and bronzes that were on display.

Original Skeleton with Gorgon Shield




Closer inspection of the neck bones reveals that the bones are in fact painted on and therefore hiding the double joint inside.
On the sword holding hand I noticed the fingers are designed as a solid mass but also had a peice of wire inserted through and hooked togeather on the oposite side to keep the sword in place
I'm also unsure as to the origin of the sword design, this appears to be more in keeping with an Arabic design rather than the Grecian sword I would expect. This could be due to a misplaced prop which was attached when Ray was alive or this is the original Sinbad Living Skeleton with a misplaced shield? Only time will tell.

The feet I found were also one solid mass with painted devisions to give the illusion of individual bones, I could also see the pivoting joint in the middle of the foot which is now shown with a crack in the latex.

Original Medusa



One of the things I noticed on this puppet was the twisted forearm on Medusa, from looking at the placement of the joints of the armature in the Ray Harryhausen: An Animated Life, this is the result of a double joint being placed at the wrist which when rotated warps the foam and latex around the arm in a "unnatural" manor. This wouldn't have been noticeable since the scene was shot in a very dark scene but had this been shot in a well lit environment could have become a problem for audiences in the 1980's.
I love the use of scale on Medusa's stomach, the mix of different sizes aong with their purposely positioned geometric patterning is just a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. 
I also love the illusion of scales on her tail, these are simply bumps applied to her original sculpt, and when comparing it with other of Ray's models, you can feel his previous works in this model, such as the layered muscle of the giant sixtipus in It Came from Beneath the Sea.

Large Pegasus


One thing I was very surprised to see on this model, and it could be down to age, is the seam lines of the skin along the inside of the legs, its interesting to have seem hot the skin was layered over the foam body.

Scylla Bronze Bust



I absolutely love the design of this creature, adapted from a concept design that was drawn up for the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and later changed for the design we know today. This design however was not the original design chosen, for concept art for Force of the Trojans the creature was to have eyes on stalks with a elephantine trunk sporting a mouth at the end. The body however stayed the same, and its a real shame the creature never came into fruition, in my opinion it was one of Ray's most imaginative creatures. 

If you would like to learn more about the early work of Ray Harryhausen you can find pictures, information podcasts and event updates via The Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation online accounts.
Official Website- http://www.rayharryhausen.com/

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