Carl Barks made multiple depictions of the comic book characters in his Disney oil paintings. Naturally, the most frequently depicted characters were the primary ones, whereas only a few secondary ones found their way into the artworks. Astonishingly, the most often used secondary characters were Larkies, who popped up in painting backgrounds from time to time. But in 11-73 Menace Out of the Myths from 1973 a Larkie took centre stage. This is the story.

 

 

 

THE REQUEST
   

One of Barks' longtime friends was Malcolm Willits, who bought several of his paintings over the years. The motif for this one was requested to be a scene from the adventure story U$12 The Golden Fleecing from 1956.
It was based on a Greek mythological tale of Jason, the son of a former king, who comes to his uncle to claim his throne, which the uncle has stolen. The devious uncle demands that Jason first brings him the golden fleece, a task that is considered impossible as it is guarded by a fierce dragon. But after having disposed of a number of obstacles in his way such as flesh-eating Harpies, Jason succeeds and his uncle has to hand over the throne.
Although Barks made his own story, it is interesting to see how many ingredients he actually transferred from the old Greek mythological tale. He also blends ancient and modern times together as he lets the ducks search for the original wool in the present time.

Barks obliged in having a go at an artwork including bits of the overall tale as seen in his story. He went into heavy research mode and began sketching helmets, shields, columns, and ruins, but he soon became very aware of the magnitude of his task. The two men corresponded during the next months, in which Willits pushed for special features, while Barks stated that he was simply terrified over the many details and the intricate colours.
In fact, he was about to back out of the deal: I feel incompetent for the job, Malcolm, he once wrote, and suggested a more simple solution featuring one single and menacing Larkie hovering over the scared ducks and misty ruins. Willits gave his go-ahead and Barks continued with renewed energy.

 

 

THE SKETCHES
       

Some of the many rough sketches Barks sent to Willits spanning from the first to the last. Observe how foresightedly Barks sketched his initial idea except that he suggested two Larkies circling over the ducks instead of just one.

 

 

THE PAINTING


11-73 Menace Out of the Myths

Materials: Oil on Masonite - Size: 18x24" (450x600mms)

Barks managed to end up with a brilliantly composed scene featuring a dominating Larkie scaring Scrooge McDuck and the Ducks, as well as being filled with ingredients such as containers with valuables, ancient military effects, and Greek ruins. Observe how well Barks has used the lighting; in the left part of the scene we are shown part of the present time with strong colours, and in the right part we are shown the past time in misty colours in a perspective view.

The hovering Larkie is not very much like the chattering and senseless sisters Barks portrayed in the story. This one is all business and quite scary looking as well. Notice: The three flying objects in the background must not be mistaken for Larkies. They are bats!

Initially, Barks called the birds in his story Harpies, as they were indeed called in mythology, but he was asked to change their names, as his editor thought that in some corners of the USA the name Harpies was slang for ladies of the night. Barks: ... I almost had to eat those 32 pages of drawings because I'd used some Harpies as menaces. It seems that Harpy or Harpie is an obscure nickname for a street-walker. I managed to save the story by renaming the old girls Larkies...

 

 

THE OTHER LARKIES


8-72 Golden Fleece

The painting was not Barks' only attempt featuring one or more Larkies in a painting scene. In 8-72 Golden Fleece that originates from the same story, a number of stone Larkies are hidden in the crypt walls (not to mention Barks' clever trick of showing Scrooge's Larkie-like, grabbing shadow!), and this was also the case in a special, unnumbered version from 1993 made for serigraph purposes.
You can find more Larkies in the backgrounds of 21-71 'Ducks in Blue', 15-73 Family Portrait, and 123-81 Wanderers of Wonderlands.

 

 

THE PURCHASER


Willits paid for the artwork in July of 1973. The sales price was 1,000 dollars, which was considerably more than usual due to the amount of detail as well as the size of the painting that was larger than normal.
In December of 1982 Willits invited a few friends to a small gathering in his home (see more HERE). In the image the host is proudly holding his favourite Barks artwork flanked by (standing) Bruce Hamilton and Russ Cochran, and, (sitting) Carl Barks and Floyd Gottfredson.

 

 

THE CRITIC
   

Carl's third wife, Garé, was an accomplished painting artist with specialty in nature scenes, and it was she who helped her husband in his early painting years. The couple had their own studio facilities in their home, but as their artwork scenes differed greatly (Disney ducks and nature), they would rarely comment in public on their individual products. But shortly after the publishing Garé made this (shortened) statement on Carl's Larkie painting:
...  It is so different from any Carl has done before and I thought it was magnificent. I don't see his paintings from a collector's eye-view, though, so others may not agree. But the harmony of color, the atmosphere, and the handling of the detail (pillars, middleground, ruins, etc., is a masterpiece in my opinion. ...
High praise, indeed...

 

 

 

 http://www.cbarks.dk/THELARKIEPAINTING.htm

   Date 2021-10-20