Tag Archives: art
The Angelic Vision of American Progress
America’s allegorical representative: An angel, stringing telegraph wires (and dislocating indigenous people).
David Lyle: This Ends Here
Last year I kept seeing this image (pictured) pop up all over Tumblr, but never with any attribution. Somewhere along the line, though I don’t remember when or how, I learned that photographer turned painter David Lyle was responsible.
Larry Carroll On The Weight Of Explicit Imagery
Several years back I attempted to write about the work of painter Larry Carroll, known best for his two-decade collaboration with Slayer, painting every album cover from Reign In Blood to Christ Illusion. At the time, I could find little information about Carroll, and his work was only briefly covered in a piece I wrote for Swindle back in 2005.
The Giant Gila Monster vs. Glenn Danzig
The font of the movie’s title on promotional posters has been copied on most albums and associated promotional materials released by Glenn Danzig’s musical acts Samhain and Danzig.
Railyard Dispatches: BuZ Blurr’s Diversion From Boredom
“I’m a retired railroad man who indulged in the folk art tradition of making chalk drawings on the railcars as an announcement of presence, and diversion from boredom. Although against the rules of the railroad, it was a common enough practice by the employees and hobos, by ignoring enforcement it was de facto tacit approval, for I dispatched drawings for…
In The Age Of Designer (Marketed) Drugs
It’s no secret the pharmaceutical industry has always been big business, dating back to its inception in the late 20th century. But what’s not as well known, perhaps, is the cozy relationship between some of history’s most celebrated designers and their extensive involvement in the early marketing of brand-name drugs.
The Psychedelia Of Yesterday’s Textbooks
Adventures in hallucinogenic reading.
Like the work of so many commercial artists, one-shot pieces intended for an academic audience are often relegated to utter obscurity. Luckily the visuals published by Communications Research Machines have been archived for posterity.
Kate Beaton’s Hark! A Vagrant
So, I mean, Kate Beaton. Pretty amazing, right? It seems I’m a (very) latecomer to her Hark, a Vagrant web comic. But I’ve yet to see a web comic that’s at once this funny and erudite. Drawn and Quarterly just released a book, also titled Hark! A Vagrant. She’s been doing the press rounds and appeared with Michael Kupperman and…
Ron English’s Not-So-Great Cereal Caper
Art prankster Ron English recently infiltrated a Ralph’s grocery store in Venice, California, firing the opening salvo in an all-out war against childhood obesity. Kudos, my health-minded humanitarian artist! It’s high time an artist with name recognition like English took to challenging Kellogg’s and General Mills’ claims of providing consumers with healthy breakfast options.
The Accidental Futurist: Steven M. Johnson’s Utopic Visions
Over at The Atlantic, Steven Heller looks at the work of ex-urban planner/illustrator of sublime futuristic visions, Steven M. Johnson:
Johnson might be the love child of the satirists Bruce McCall and Glen Baxter. In fact, design critic and former Dwell editor Allison Arieff described him as R. Crumb meets Buckminster Fuller. His distinct sardonic sensibility was borne of insatiable
…
The Workplace Politics of Jack Kirby And Stan Lee
In stumbling upon this radio interview with Jack Kirby (h/t: Jay Babcock), my fascination with pre-Internet media continues, especially as it pertains to one of Marvel’s most prodigious artists.
I grew up reading hand-me-down comics illustrated by Jack Kirby, though I didn’t realize it at the time. It turns out that’s often been the case with Kirby’s work. He was…
The Plastic Man Cartoon That Never Was
Back in 2006, Cartoon Network passed on a Plastic Man TV pilot featuring Tom Kenny (aka SpongeBob) as the voice of Eel O’Brian with artwork by Stephen Destefano. According to Kenny, the “unused pilot that was offered to the Cartoon Network. It seems that I’ve started an internet rumor. I don’t really know if Cartoon Network chose between this and…
Watch Banksy Eat Cereal, Take Out The Trash
What happens when art imitates art? Honestly, nothing good. Look at Julia Kim Smith’s At Home With Banksy and it reminds you that the art world is always creeping closer to utter hopelessness (and self-referential obsolescence).
One Minute Puberty (2011)
Alexander Gellner takes a tweaked-out, one-minute crash course through puberty in this animated short. “Puberty, the fun and exciting times you had with pimples, uncontrolled new powers, and a thousand things you tried out for the first time,” writes Gellner in his synopsis. “Metamorphosis and change and chaos of becoming a real person are some of the themes that…
Life After The Fairy Tale Ends
Inside the world of Fallen Princesses.
When Dina Goldstein’s “Fallen Princesses” exhibition debuted at Vancouver’s Buschlen Mowatt Galleries in 2009, it almost immediately sparked controversy. Or at least what passes for controversy nowadays, namely, it upset legions of commenters on the Internet.
The Mad World Of Al Jaffee
Back in October, The New York Times featured an interactive slideshow of Al Jaffee’s infamous fold-ins for Mad magazine, from the 1960s to the present. It was a supplement to this article, which examined the career of Mad’s longest-serving contributor. Jaffee turned 90 this past March, and he’s still churning out high-quality cartoons. Here’s to hoping old age will be…
The Secret Lives Of Nesting Dolls
Anatomical nesting dolls by Jason Levesque, for an exhibition at the Rothick Art Haus. (Source)
The Crusader (2007)
In this short film directed by Gerard Monaco, Lee Philips tries to sue Warner Bros. for misrepresentation.
Back In The Day: Turning Everyday People Into Icons
The New York Times‘ Lens blog has put together a slide show commemorating the 10th anniversary edition of Jamel Shabazz’s book “Back in the Day” (powerHouse): “Photography gave Jamel Shabazz direction in life — straight to the young men and women he saw every day in parks, on stoops and on streets. When he started in the mid-1970s in Brooklyn’s…
