Museum/gallery art in the funny pages
Dec 16, 2023 0:27:07 GMT
pietrykowski, jporcellino, and 1 more like this
Post by lonyowdely on Dec 16, 2023 0:27:07 GMT
I was reading Three Rocks and there's this wonderful three page collection of Nancy strips where Bushmiller is responding to modern art. I won't reproduce it here, but if you have the book it's pages 106-108.
It reminded me that I had taken some notes while reading the newspaper funny pages of 1933 of strips that show art museums.
Here's a Gasoline Alley Sunday from March 19th and a Fritzi Ritz Sunday from March 26th that feel very similar. Both have the characters walk through an art gallery, commenting on the work and comedically misunderstanding it. They both ride a fine line where the reader can decide if the butt of the joke is on the art world or the goofy comic characters who misunderstand it. The timing makes me wonder if both these strips came out of a conversation between Frank King and Ernie Bushmiller. Maybe a challenge?
The Fritzi Ritz makes me think about a bit in Three Rocks about how Bushmiller is all about creating images that can be read at any size. There's something beautiful about these half an inch by half an inch representations of "expressionist painting" or "abstract sculpture" (whereas King is going for more faithful reproductions, also beautiful drawings). I like that Bushmiller's "Faith" from 1933, and "Peace" from 1962 (reproduced in Three Rocks) are essentially the same sculpture.
Here's another pair of strips: a Gaar Williams from April 28th and a Skippy from July 22nd. This one feels more like plagiarism to me, though I kinda like the Skippy version better so I'll call it a generous plus up instead.
There's also this Calvin and Hobbes where Watterson has Calvin's parents admiring a framed Krazy Kat landscape.
Anyone else got any examples?
It reminded me that I had taken some notes while reading the newspaper funny pages of 1933 of strips that show art museums.
Here's a Gasoline Alley Sunday from March 19th and a Fritzi Ritz Sunday from March 26th that feel very similar. Both have the characters walk through an art gallery, commenting on the work and comedically misunderstanding it. They both ride a fine line where the reader can decide if the butt of the joke is on the art world or the goofy comic characters who misunderstand it. The timing makes me wonder if both these strips came out of a conversation between Frank King and Ernie Bushmiller. Maybe a challenge?
The Fritzi Ritz makes me think about a bit in Three Rocks about how Bushmiller is all about creating images that can be read at any size. There's something beautiful about these half an inch by half an inch representations of "expressionist painting" or "abstract sculpture" (whereas King is going for more faithful reproductions, also beautiful drawings). I like that Bushmiller's "Faith" from 1933, and "Peace" from 1962 (reproduced in Three Rocks) are essentially the same sculpture.
Here's another pair of strips: a Gaar Williams from April 28th and a Skippy from July 22nd. This one feels more like plagiarism to me, though I kinda like the Skippy version better so I'll call it a generous plus up instead.
There's also this Calvin and Hobbes where Watterson has Calvin's parents admiring a framed Krazy Kat landscape.
Anyone else got any examples?
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