Cool article in the New York Times blog section about creating caricatures. The writer had three artists discuss their approach to doing a caricature of Picasso.
My favorite is Pablo as a flounder (get the cubist joke?)
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/11/drawing-funny/
Since so many on this blog do caricatures, I would be interested in their take on this study.
By the way, in my opinion, Pablo Picasso is one of the most overrated artists ever. Just an aside since the article has little to do with him as an artist but as a subject... I suppose he was an artist that really cultivated himself as a "brand" as they say these days. Perhaps not the first but one of the most effective.
This is a fun read —I'm glad you linked to it! I'll stand by Picasso as one of the indispensable giants of 20th century art. I don't like everything he's done, but I think his talent was evident very early in his career, and he had to move on to more conceptual, abstract and provocative things to escape perpetual boredom.
ReplyDeleteI like the art by Sorel. Bachtell a bit less so. None are as good as Barry Blitt, or Steve Brodner, IMHO. Robert Grossman is one of those artists I just don't "get" (along with Edward Koren, Gahan Wilson, and cookie dough ice cream) To each his own, I guess.
I'll give high praise to the writer, James McMullan, though. It might have been better if McMullen were one of the profiled artists. He doesn't do caricatures per-se, but he's a brilliant graphic artist and watercolorist who has shared a great deal of his process in this book:
http://www.indiebound.org/book/97806708768396
I'd strongly recommend it to any regular reader of this blog.
It would be an interesting debate about the inportance of Picasso. Sometimes I think popularity of great artists is a timing thing. I do not deny he is talented, but there are many artists I admire from the period way more.
ReplyDeleteAnother Spanish painter, Goya, Is by far my favorite artist ever. He had such a range of ideas. I am a huge fan.
By the way, I think Da Vinci is way overrated too as a painter. As a conceptual artist and designer, he was amazing. As a painter, I am underwhelmed by his work, especially after seeing it in person.