‘The Wall’ designer Gerald Scarfe designed the iconic artwork on Roger Waters’ kitchen table.
The artist – who was “befuddled” when the band asked him to get on board given his work as a political cartoonist – has opened up on his work on Pink Floyd’s legendary 1979 rock opera.
He told Uncut magazine: “I had to create all the characters – the wives, the mother, the teacher and all these semi-cartoon figures – very quickly because the album was coming out.
“The band were in the South of France and I kept flying down to meet them. I actually designed the album cover on Roger’s kitchen table.
“The live show was incredibly ambitious, with my original illustrations turned into inflatable puppets. Then we did the film, which was tough and very difficult.”
Scarfe – whose book ‘The Art of Pink Floyd: The Wall’ is set to be released on November 11 – admitted despite the challenges, the project was “fascinating”.
He explained: “As a virtual artist ‘The Wall’ was fascinating for me because there was so much to dig into and explore.
“All the images were out of my head. Roger was the originator, but my drawings were my translations of his visions.
“He had his own views, but he accepted what I did. It was a strange marriage really, but we became very close friends.”
And the artist said he’s “amazed” his work has endured the way it has over the past four decades.
He added: “Looking back, I’m amazed that it has become what it has. It’s an iconic piece of work and I’m proud that allying my visuals to their sounds seemed to work.
“To this day I still get emails and commissions from Pink Floyd fans all around the world.”
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