

In Gankutsuou, the art style is pretty weird. Instead of having normal
coloring/shading, different pieces (such as hair or a shirt) have their own
pattern that doesn't move with the piece. You can see it in the Count's hair
and in the shirt below. Is there a name for this type of art, and is this
something that is unique to Gankutsuou or to anime?

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iQPKNm.jpg)


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anime-production gankutsuou
Is there a name for the art style in Gankutsuou?


There doesn't seem to be a technical name for this animation style. TVTropes
calls it [Unmoving
Plaid](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UnmovingPlaid), while it's
also referred to as "plaid animation" and "static pattern animation".

Outside of animation, this is also lumped in with, for example, a pattern such
as plaid or polka dots not changing orientation on a shirt as the character
moves. This shows up in manga and comics as a way to avoid having to reorient
a pattern every time the character moves.


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According to [an interview](http://www.yozone.fr/spip.php?article1798) (in
French) with the series creator series creator, Mahiro Maeda, the art style of
the anime combines western Impressionism with Ukiyo-e, a 19th century Japanese
woodblock printed art style that strongly influenced the Impressionism
movement around the same time.

One of the particularly notable mini-movements within impressional is the [Art
Nouveau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau) style, particularly the
influence from the Austrian artist [Gustav
Klimt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Klimt), likely best known for his
work _The Kiss_. Klimt was mentioned to be one of Maeda's most favorite
artists and his works gave way to [inspire the blocks of strong primary
colors](https://www.manga-news.com/index.php/actus/2018/03/21/Interview-de-
Mahiro-Maeda-fondateur-du-studio-Gonzo) seen in the series.

Klimt's style applies a tension of naturalism and stylization, bridged
together by turns through fairly intricate multiform and multi-patterned
surfaces and bold contrasts of color with highlights of gold, silver, coral,
and gems. This is all wrapped around a pervasively mystical and alluring aura
brought about the the spiraling and intertwining lines juxtaposed with stark
square and triangular shapes. All of this is reminiscent of a ghostly mosaic
aesthetic.

For more information on the visual style, I recommend picking up the
illustration art book on the series _Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo
Complete_.


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