Colombian PainterThe work of Fernando Botero is a family favorite and I grew up looking at his lush, abstracted portraits of exaggerated fat people. He’s never questioned his choice in subject and is simply drawn to the forms. Far from a novelty, though his paintings are exquisite and recently he gained acclaim for his politically volatile Abu Ghraib paintings. He is Columbia’s foremost artist and considered “the most Colombian of Colombian artists”.
Amazing Interior DesignerDavid Carter looks and dresses like a golden era dandy of the Quentin Crisp ilk and his exquisite dramatic (but NEVER tacky) interiors are as gloriously out of step with the typical styles of the today. Not to say his aesthetic is strictly antique, it’s built on history but put together with a thoroughly modern sensibility. His site (which these images are from) is a dreamland of interior design inspiration. Every room beckons daydreams of decadent lounging.
I discovered Carter from this article on Style Bubble (a site that’s always great for introducing an interesting person, place or thing of interest). His own home, decorated wit equal wit and glamour, is called 40 Winks and “is being launched to help give photographers, stylists, art directors, designers, buyers, models and anyone in the creative and fashion industries somewhere fun and different to stay when they are in London for work or pleasure.” Can you imagine a more fantastical place to stay?
RIPI know that George Steinbrenner passing seems to be the biggest thing to ever happen in the state of New York, but if I ran the news there’d be more mention of the passing of Harvey Pekar. If you weren’t introduced to his self published, mostly autobiographical and highly influential comics, American Splendor, then perhaps you were aware of the unique artist through the movie of the same name.
His work was about the working class life, the mundane (as R Crumb described it “so staggeringly mundane it verges on the exotic.”) and personal anxieties – a far cry from the beginning of comics with their super hero fantasies. He always used artists he admired to illustrate his stories including like minded Crumb and Chester Brown.
He passed away July 12, the cause of death has not been released, but he had suffered with prostate cancer.
Icons of American DesignWhile the work of Ray and Charles Eames is almost transparent in our time with it’s all encompassing influence of daily life, their design is no less popular today than when it was new. In fact, among today’s lovers of interiors and industrial art, they may even be more popular than ever (just try to scroll through a design blog or tumblr without running into a photo of thier work, or design inspired by them). I have even witnessed a certain friend literally fall in love with one of their rockers after bottles of wine were consumed at a party… no things didn’t get dirty, but his love for the chair was palpable. The simplicity of design, the clean lines and sense of joy that the team are known for elicit that kind of passion in fans.
Malian PhotographerI randomly cam across an image by Malick Sidibe the other day and was instantly taken and mesmerized by the vibrant portrait photographers work. From Mali, Sidibe is most famous for his 1960s photos of youth culture in Bamako, Mali’s largest city that was, at the time undergoing immense changes (Mali had gained independence in 1960 then became a socialist state which was later overthrown at the end of the decade.)
The images are not only historically interesting but, for lack of a better word, amazingly cool. Fashion inspiration abounds.
Metal RoyaltyIf you’ve ever done the heavy metal devil horns hand sign (and I am pretty sure you have) you must give thanks to this man, Ronnie James Dio, who popularized it after taking cues from his grandmother, who used the gesture to ward off the evil eye. The powerfully voiced and long locked frontman to Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio, Dio passed away last week after an up and down struggle with stomach cancer.
ative PhotographerAs a devoted Helmut Newton lover, I am a little shocked with myself for having so little knowledge about the equally provocative fashion photographer Guy Bourdin. Lucky for me, my photographer brother in law touts an impressive collection of Bourdin’s books to school me.
His career is beyond impressive, from Man Ray’s protege to Vogue contributor to a legacy as one of the industries greatest artist (though a reluctant one). Am dying to see an older BBC documentary about him called Dreamgirls: The photographs of Guy Bourdin, but seems it can only be seen in segments on youtube for now (must watch this weekend). For now, enjoy a small collection below/after the jump of his work.
NY1’s #1You just don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone. Even though, thankfully, Pat Kiernan’s absence from NY1’s morning news is only temporary (presumably he’s vacationing in Canada), it’s really made a dent in my morning ritual.
It’s little wonder that I’m definitely not the only New York that begins their day with the man; his dry wit and sense of humor hits exactly the right note with New Yorkers and I miss him.
Kristen Shaughnessy doesn’t even mercilessly poke fun at Roger Clark!
Famous for their funky hits like Fire and Rollercoaster of Love, Ohio Players also incurred a lot of controversy and ire for their blatantly hyper-sexual albums covers which, in their sheer audacity, are absolute favorites of mine.
Below/after the jump are many of those albums as well as an array of their flashy fashions.
Singing Tough GuyI know and love Dick Powell from his early musical days where the goofy grinned, wavy style haired gent always starred as a playful “juvenile” role and sang such great Bugsby Berkeley classics as “Pettin’ in the Park” and “Honeymoon Hotel”. I was surprised to read then, that the man whose gentle silliness could be played with aplomb by Will Farell (well, minus the singing) reinvented himself in Hollywood as a tough guy in numerous noirs. It’s even more surprising that as film noir fans we’ve not seen more of them – except for the flashback Kurt Douglas thriller The Bad and the Beautiful. I’ve been sure to add Murder, My Sweet and Cornered to my queue. I will skip the last film he directed before he passed away, The Conquerer that bizarrely cast John Wayne as Genghis Khan.
Theatrical ArtistChristian Berard seems like the kind of guy I would have loved being friends with. He was a prominent gay artist who with his lover, Boris Koshno was the toast of the fashionable Paris crowd of the 20’s and 30’s. A renowned costume and theatrical scenery designer, Berard’s paintings have a distinct style that found a home in the fashion world where he painted for magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
He is probably most well known for his considerable contribution to cinema with his dreamlike designs for Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast.
Holy Batman, Batman!One of the Olsen twins most ingenious moments was in the titling of their film “How the West Was Fun”, which could equally suffice for the title of a biography of our beloved Adam West (he went with Back to the Batcave, while Burt Ward, in a tell all tall tale of supposive missed opportunities and female fan orgasms, went with Boy Wonder My Life in Tights).
His delightful, deadpan yet over the top acting was the cornerstone of one of TVs greatest pieces of tongue in cheek, surreal comedies. Of course I speak of the ahead-of-its-time Batman series that, while certainly less universally lauded as the more recent extremely dark and grim take on the DC Comic character, is far more awesome in my estimation. I just can’t imagine Christian Bale growling “In good bat-climbing as in good driving one must never sacrifice safety for speed!”.
West spent many years type cast as the caped crusader but recently has gained new popularity as a voice actor in many popular animated shows.
Resort Spring 2011I am pretty much head over heels for Riccardo Tisci’s latest resort collection for Givenchy. Always a notable and unique designer for the famed house, (who has consistently received mixed reviews) but this vibrant, dramatic collection may just be his finest in my eyes. Of course, his Spring 2010 featuring those editorially ubiquitous zig zag graphic dressed and leggings also melted my heart.
Images from FabSugar and Style.com
SciFi FashionThis io9 article makes an interesting point about fashion taking more and more inspiration from the word of science fiction but modern science fiction turning its back on the world of fashion. If one man could merge the world of science fiction, entertainment and fashion it was Paco Rabanne. Well known for his far out metal dresses and stunning fantastic fashions for Barberella, Rabanne’s hey day were the swinging sixties, where as an enfant terribles he was a revolutionary visionary.
R.I.P.I normally don’t like to repeat recommendations here on Brix Picks and Frank Frazetta has already made two appearances before (once as an entry, once as a best of), but the man is my absolute favorite and I am just heart broken to hear of his passing. The true master of fantasy illustration, Frazetta brought to life a world of curvy, sword wielding women and large, death dealing warriors that as a child inspired me like no one else to go into making art (well, except for my dad, who introduced me to Frazetta with his huge, worn books that I would pour through in the basement).
Pour through a few of his best pieces below/after the jump and afterwards, be sure to watch or re-watch his most excellent animated masterpiece, Fire and Ice.
Cat LoverWho knew that the world’s biggest cat lady was in fact a man? Louis Wain began his career as a cat artist after a beloved pet got his wife through the pain of suffering from cancer. His anthropomorphous illustrations were quite popular in their day (being the 1880’s) and I’d die for one of his annuals. Sadly, he was struck by severe and escalating mental illness in his later years – a case that surely lends credence to the theory that toxoplasma can cause changes to human personalities – a theory expounded on in a fascinating Parasites episode of Radio Lab. Wain didn’t stop painting and drawing cats while he was institutionalized and his work took on a wild psychedelic and geometric turn. I am surprised his work has not been embraced by the outsider art loving community like Henry Darger’s.
Spanish Comic InnovatorI have simply fallen in love with the quirky style and unique color sensibility of Salvador Bartolozzi. While he may not be a household name here in the US, he was a famous innovator in Spanish comics in the 1920s. His work and career are well worth a look for any fans of illustration. Another great discovery from favorite blog Journey Round My Skull.
