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Værker af Matt Dukes Jordan

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I found this one in an antique mall and the topic and art grabbed me. The writing as well... Jordan has fun: “They gazed appreciatively at graffiti and picked up plenty of punk-rock posters and underground comix in homemade temples created by folk artists, they savored the splendor and terror of bottle-cap Madonnas and apocalyptic glitter paintings. […] They were never the same again. From then on, these artists created art that expresses a jaded joviality amidst the kitsch luxury trash and tortured toyland of twentieth century American pop culture.”

So. Lowbrow art. Turns out I like a lot of it, am familiar with some of the artists, and had a bit to learn about its history and players.
“One of the defining aspects of lowbrow art is its narrative quality: many of these paintings tell stories and could be scenes from films, animation cels from cartoons, or panels in comic books.
In keeping with its narrative quality, lowbrow art is nearly always figurative, representational. These paintings represent people, places, and things in the world and are rarely abstract.”

I generally prefer representational art, and I have an affinity for the surreal, and I found this one fascinating and satisfying.

Noted comments from some of the artists in the book:

Anthony Ausgang: ““I don’t like the term ‘lowbrow’ because it’s reactionary against highbrow. It doesn't need to define itself in terms of a reaction against elitist culture. The problem is, nobody can come up with a better term.”
{I like this.}

Glen Barr: “Occasionally, I did the gory paintings like a big bloodshot eye, the things that made that show [Ren & Stimpy] so charming.”
{I know I am not alone in thinking there was absolutely nothing charming about that affront to animation!}

Gary Baseman: “The way I work is to create a lot of chaos and then it all flows and lines up. I wouldn't say it’s just whimsical. I like walking the edge between work that’s very approachable and work that’s very daring.”
{I recognize his style and some of his work (not a fan, but I recognize it.}

Some of Joe Coleman’s shows the carnival influences of his childhood in Bridgeport, home of P.T. Barnum. And Todd Schorr’s work is similar (though brighter and more involved). I have a painting by a Dallas-based artist of a “Transatlantic Merry Go Round”, ScarJo and some circus performers. I think he might be on the edge of lowbrow.

Skot Olsen: “Lowbrow is a movement with a bad name. | prefer to call my work ‘cartoon realism.’ I can see that | fit in, but like a lot of other lowbrow artists, | didn’t set out to be a part of it—it just happened. It seems that a lot of lowbrow is a regurgitation of pop culture and a reaction to conservative fine art. One end of it looks nothing like the other, and the two ends rarely see eye to eye.”

Isabel Samara: “My hope is that lowbrow art inspires artists to pursue their own singular vision. Maybe if they see somebody making it doing very personal, very odd work, they'll feel emboldened to follow their own crazy path, even if it’s not popular or current. It’s funny because a lot of what's now considered lowbrow wasn’t all that popular originally, but as so often happens, when something becomes embraced by the underground it becomes more palatable or desirable to the masses. If you're doing anything other than what you love, stop wasting your time. Life’s too short. You do not have to be miserable to make interesting art, and losing an ear to madness is not a prerequisite to creativity, so find ways to be deliriously happy as often as possible. Bonus points if you can make somebody else happy while you're at it.”

Joe Soren: “The label [lowbrow] isn’t important, it’s the work that’s important. If it’s good, it doesn’t matter what it’s called. If it’s bad, the label won't save it. For me, like I’m sure it is for many of the artists in this book, I've always felt like I’m off on my own tangent anyway. I’m just trying to wow myself and make the best work I can make. In the end, that’s all that matters.”

Robert Williams, grandfather of lowbrow, was a bit salty: “Lowbrow art is antielite, exploratory, subversive, rebellious. I'm the point man. I caught all the fire and opened up the territory for everyone else. Now a lot of people are in this thing because it’s here, it’s a ride, and they couldn’t come up with a ride of their own. They're working this thing until they can jump off of it. Maybe I am too. I think this thing’s going to get more and more diluted. People will follow success. Shag—that’s the direction this will go. You're getting into three decades of people not knowing what underground art is. The next generation won't even know. Guys like Baseman who work for Disney know what the average mentality wants. That has nothing to do with lowbrow. My motive was to take cartoon imagery and take it up to the level of fine art and create a visual language that would take off in its own direction. That's too oblique for most of these people today, so I’ve given up on the direction I had for this thing originally. Any intentions | had have been rerouted.”
… (mere)
 
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