I'm back. Again. Probably not for the last time.
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Moebius
Postcard published by Editions Gentiane, 1983.
Image Credit |
My current Top 5 is motivated by two recent events. First of all, I watched
Exit Through the Gift Shop not too long ago and since then I've been more cognizant of the artistic value (or lack thereof) of the images I'm surrounded by. Secondly (in presentation only), I saw
Eyestone post about the
recent passing of
Moebius, a French comics artist who had a rather dramatic impact on not only comics art, but the art world at large. I have to say I was relatively unfamiliar with the work of Moebius until his death and similarly, I was fairly ignorant of most of the street artists (
Bansky &
Shepard Fairey aside) showcased in Exit Through the Gift Shop (the movie is fantastic, go watch it if you haven't already, it's streaming on Netflix). I'm here to remedy this ignorance.
In honor of Moebius and in order for all of us to take a few minutes to appreciate the visual art our friends find captivating, I call for your Top 5 pieces of visual art. Links are a must. To make this easier on those of us who aren't well-versed in the art world (and easier for those of you who would have a hard time only posting five because this kind of art takes up 95% of your waking attention) you can narrow your list any way you like. Maybe you want to only post your most recent faves, or maybe you want to limit yourself to a certain medium?
GREAT TOPIC! Here are 5 current VISUAL ARTISTS that are rocking my world. The bulk of their respective outputs is constantly moving me and forcing me to not be content with my own work:
ReplyDelete1. Vania Zouravliov - A true "illustrator's illustrator". Endlessly inspiring, and, despite some collaborative work for mondo posters, still fairly unknown.
http://art.vniz.net/en/zouravliov/Zouravliov-Fairy_Godmother.html
2. Moebius - His death has led me to look over the tiny library of his work that I have in my collection (his stuff is absurdly hard to get ahold of). This dude co-founded Metal Hurlant. How sick is that?! Also, looking back at the stuff he was doingin the late 70's will make your eyes pop right out.
http://geek-news.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/moebius-arzach2.jpg
3. Mike Mignola - Best living comics artist. Quite a claim, I know. Nobody else is doing what he is doing, as well as he is doing it. Literally un-matched in his field.
http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/king-mignola/7152694540/1/tumblr_lnofnkgD421qka5cp
4. Guy Davis - Dude shits gold. His art is fast, efficient and incredibly visceral, for what it is. He draws characters filled with emotion, and his creature design makes the schlock we see on the big screen every year seem antiquated. How much more would Super 8 have ruled with Guy Davis creature design? Davis' "The Marquis" and his run on "B.P.R.D." are essential.
http://images.wikia.com/darkhorse/images/3/33/Sadu-Hem_%28human_form%29.png
5. Guy Le Tatooer - I have no tats, and probably will never have any. Largely because I'm too lazy to buy a plane ticket to a visit with this dude. GOOGLE HIM.
http://thatsthehookup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/guy-le-tatooer-header-tthu1.jpg
I could go on for a few pages. But this is good.
Ryan E
My list may switch back and forth between artists and pieces, but here are the 5 artistic endeavors that I feel have impacted me the most.
ReplyDelete1. Dave McKean. I came across Dave McKean's work through his cover art for Sandman as well as his work on MirrorMask. The link below is one image from MirrorMask I found particularly jaw-dropping. I find McKean's style erratic but very cool. However, my favorite aspect of his work is tone; every piece just seems to have right colors and lines.
http://www.mckean-art.co.uk/
2. Banksy and the street art movement. Exit Through the Gift Shop introduced me to the world of street art and how authentic, yet potentially bullshit the street art movement is. From the slow build of guys like Shepard Fairey and Bansky compared against the immediate stardom of someone like Mr. Brainwash, it's easy to be skeptical of the "art" in street art, and other art forms in general. However, I really like Banksy's work and I enjoy his commentary on the advertising industry.
http://www.malibumag.com/images/uploads/banksy.jpg
3. Chris Jordan's Running the Numbers. I was only recently introduced to Chris Jordan's work but I absolutely love it. Challenging our ideas of consumerism while making beautiful mosaics using discarded materials, Jordan really taps into a piece of America that many of us don't like to address, myself included. Jordan shows his audience just how wasteful we can be, and does it in a stunning way.
http://www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/rtn/#car-keys
4. Planet Earth. Okay, I might be stretching the topic a bit here, but I honestly feel that the videography and still images resulting from the expansive work of the Planet Earth crew is some of the most beautiful visual art I've ever seen. Showing people the beauty of our natural world as it exists, unperturbed by modern society is a wonderful and important goal and I love that it's being done so well.
5. M.C. Escher. Escher's work challenges perspectives in a very neat way. I love his work not only because it's visually striking, but because his work, like Bansky's, makes you stop. You can't just pass by Escher's work, you have to struggle with it for a moment and I love that. I want people to do this with every aspect of their lives; to struggle, to grapple, and to come to a conclusion on their own terms.
http://im-possible.info/images/art/escher/man_cuboid.jpg
Pretty much all of my picks are entire artists collections. I could never pick just one. Also, not like anyone will be surprised but all of my choices are either comic artists or make movie posters.
ReplyDelete1. Mondo Posters - This is my only choice that is not a single artist but a group of them. They make some the most amazing movie and pop cultures posters ever. The downside is that they are very limited, crazy expensive and therefor hard to get other than spending like $150 a piece on ebay. Still, some incredible stuff.
http://www.mondoarchive.com/
2. Drew Struzan - The Man. The Myth. The Legend. A beautiful artist and in my opinion, one of the most important people in motion picture history.
http://www.drewstruzan.com/illustrated/portfolio/?type=mp
3. Frank Quitely - Do his figures look weird? Yes, is it weird in a good way? Yes. My favorite thing about Quitely can be said in one word. Texture.
http://comicartcommunity.com/gallery/categories.php?cat_id=130
4. John Cassaday - Still one of my favorite pencilers (even though his colorist parter Laura Martin is at least 1/3 of what makes him great) His is still one of the greatest visual storytellers in the comic world.
http://www.johncassaday.com/gallery.php
5. Mike Mignola - Eyestone pretty much said it all on this one. Dark Moody Heaven.
http://www.artofmikemignola.com/