Friday, September 26, 2008

Matthias Grünewald Drawings








Matthias Grünewald is the great artist most famous for the Isenheim Altarpiece, which features the crucified Christ in the most extreme agony imaginable, his flesh put through such torture it would make Mel Gibson cream his pants. Which makes sense as it was created for a hospital that treated skin diseases. Above are some of his lesser known but profoundly amazing drawings, which manage to transform drapery into something akin to undersea creatures with a life of their own.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

My Favorite Book as a Child





The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward
The enchanting story of a young boy with a shotgun who adopts a bear cub as a pet, and when it grows too big and difficult, sends it off to the zoo, (not too politically correct), but insanely beautifully drawn, and the expressions on the bear's face when it comes back to the farm after being dumped in the wilderness are incredibly brilliant. Nobody has expressed that feeling of pissed-off dissatisfaction and frustration better, not in the human world or the animal. Actually, I noticed recently it was the hipster artist thing to do to paint bears, good artists like Ryden and Woodring did it, and some mailing list I'm on that I didn't ask for and they never talked to me sent me some artist's work, and it was this, the ultimate bear, staring around the wall with that expression...I wrote back saying they had touched me at my childhood core, but didn't hear back, it's not like anyone wants to have their sources discovered.
But there is a bigger point, beyond my favorite book as a child...I found out years later that Lynd Ward was one of the key inventors of comic art! Ward's wordless novels in woodcut are masterpieces, I only discovered them later, but I will always be happy that the man's work was a part of my life from the start.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Life Drawing 1


Modeled by the mesmerizing Christina.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Charles Burns


The creator of the graphic novel Black Hole has his first solo exhibition in NYC. I love his work and may make the trip down to see those amazing lines in the original. I just hope there is some evidence of white-out here and there, otherwise I will be extremely depressed. Exhibition info and preview here: http://www.adambaumgoldgallery.com/burns_charles/Burns_Charles.htm

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

A New Leonardo...Maybe?


Maybe a new Leonardo, at first sold as a 19th century German mixed-media drawing, now suspected to be by the MAN. Appears to be drawn with the left hand...seems to me to be very well done, but quite stiff, so I give a lil' credence to those who doubt. The New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/arts/design/23leon.html?ex=1377144000&en=03e5968d54cfdc2f&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Leonardo Inspiration


Here's the inspiration for the drawing below, a drawing that may or may not be by Leonardo, but none the less kicks ass. I based a drawing on this 'Leonardo' around 10 years ago, and gave it to my Grandmother, who died soon after. I never inherited the drawing back, it must be floating somewhere through the family, if I find it I'll post it. By the way, I think this is a great hairstyle, I think girls with poor posture should adopt it.