Artist Info: March 23-30, 2023
Think of an artist you like. Do some (minimal) research to discover something about them you did not previously know. Use this new information to make art of some kind, using whatever medium or format you like. Bonus points if your art is in the style of or nods to the original artist in some way.
The Submissions:
by Captain Quillard
This weekend, I saw a documentary about Edward Hopper. I didn’t know a lot about the man, but whenever I run across one of his works in a museum, I’m drawn to it - something about his use of sunlight and shadows, enigmatic scenes where something feels a little off or surreal and it’s hard to tell what the story and relationships are, and the feeling of solitude in the midst of a busy and chaotic world always tends to appeal to me.
Hopper liked to deny any intention to depict loneliness and isolation, but certainly those are the feelings most associated with his most iconic paintings. Even his use of horizontal lines and objects seems to act as a barrier, keeping the viewer from accessing the world of the painting and keeping the subjects of the painting from accessing the world. Many of his works feature New York City, but the streets are strangely devoid of the hustle and bustle and crowds of people that the city would have in reality.
The part of the documentary that was most new to me was the story of his wife, Josephine Nivison Hopper. Jo was a great artist in her own right, but she was largely overshadowed by Edward and essentially gave up her career in favor of supporting his. They did seem to love each other, but her diary entries made it clear that she felt significant resentment at being stuck in his shadow, as well as frustration with Edward’s curmudgeonly and antisocial attitude and behavior. His need for solitude, his poor social skills, his (likely) severe depression, his competitive nature, and a host of other personality quirks made for a rocky relationship that left Jo feeling like she’d lost her own identity.
The movie didn’t necessarily make me dislike Edward or his work, but it did leave me feeling awful for Jo and wondering what her life could’ve been like if she’d gotten out from under his thumb and truly lived. I have no idea if that’s what she wanted, but I decided to depict her here as a bird, leaving Edward and his solitude behind and gaining the freedom to do her own thing.
I’ve made my own version of Hopper’s “Morning Sun,” with a color scheme that’s a nod to his “Nighthawks.” The bed has been recolored but otherwise left from the original work. The woman on the bed from the original has been turned into Edward himself (borrowing the head of a man in his “Office in a Small City”), sitting alone - isolated, lonely - in the room as Jo flies away.
by Heart of Darkness
I have a deep love for all things patterns and artists like Yayoi Kusama and Æthelred Eldridge, who seem to completely live and function in their own realities (for whatever reason). I knew the “weird stuff” about Eldridge - classes as performances, seeing him run around town with his arrow pants (no judgement - I have an arrow tattoo that points down. We all need to be reminded which way gravity works sometimes…), and his fame as a William Blake scholar, but I missed the whole part where he had a really normal life. The Navy. A football scholarship to Michigan. And a photo of him as a young man wearing a necktie. Somehow his normal life was more shocking than what I already knew about him…
by Anonymous Frau Redux
Anon Frau Redux may have been a fish in a former life. Bright and shiny things attract her attention like some of the Andy Warhol prints.
Andy Warhol:
-born in 1928 to immigrant parents (Warhola) from the Carpathian Mountains who settled in Pennsylvania
-explored illustrating, printmaking, photography, painting and more while rubbing elbows with celebrities
-the world lost this bright artist due to complications after gall bladder surgery in 1987.
https://www.warhol.org/andy-warhols-life/
(With help from my photographic news dude son, submitting these unique views of Pearl.)
For reference- original photo taken in my back yard.
:) AFR
Next Week’s Assignment:
Create a logo or brand for one of (or both of) the following fake businesses/products:
1. Dr. Charles E. Fromage III - A high-end, adult version of Chuck E. Cheese that still has skee-ball and animatronic characters, but instead of pizza and soda, offers prix fixe tasting menus and wine pairings and caters to a discerning, foodie-type audience. (*Note: Do not steal this business plan from me - it’s going to make me so rich.)
2. Ubiquitrel - A new drug that is used to treat over-exposure to pharmaceutical commercials, and may also help clear up your psoriasis and lower your cholesterol. Ask your doctor if Ubiquitrel is right for you.