I must say, that when I walked from door of Kiasma book store, and saw the cover painting of Mark Ryden (I recall there he has been mentioned before in this forum? If not, that mistake must be corrected!), I knew I will purchase this despite pricey euro tag, which is way beyond the amazon level (30$??). But just didn't want to hassle through mailorder things but take it home with me that day...
QuoteA new breed of contemporary artists is celebrating newfound international recognition
for their style and approach to creating art that is sprouting from and largely
influenced by visual subcultures. These young artists, who are associated with the
widespread movements of Lowbrow Art and Neo-Surrealism, share similarities with
the popular art movements of the 1960s and 70s as well as urban art.
The term Lowbrow may sound self-deprecating; rather it represents a distinctive
artistic composition and technical approach in which art is produced. The Upset
documents this movement and the artists associated with it. Feeding off an array
of popular subcultures, they often draw influences from anime, comic books,
graffiti and street art as well as character design.
The often figurative and narrative artworks featured here employ classical techniques
with great skills to create sculpture, illustration, design and painting with
the use of spray cans, sharpies and elaborate colour palettes on canvas. With
the evolution of new media, artists are also blending these elements with various
disciplines in contemporary visual art.
Many of the artists in The Upset enjoy international fame and are represented
in prestigious galleries and museums worldwide. The book also introduces a
selection of promising talent who are breaking new ground, making it the perfect
source book for those interested in fine art and discovering young artists.
browse book in 30 seconds to get idea what it's about:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/teohyc/4035943883/Not all the stuff is magnificent, but within c. 300 full color pages of art, divided to various sections, there are a lot of AMAZING things. What simply sets the mind off from prejudices about lameness of contemporary sketch doodlers. There are great artists in just about every approach and technic and this book includes also plenty of lowbrown approach which could be interest of people here. Not to mention amazing photo-realistic oil painting masters I'd wish to see more in this book.
Personal favorites, John John Jesse, Mark Ryden, Brendan Danielsson, Martin Wittfoot, Elizabeth McGrath, Ray Caesar, David Stoupakis, David Kassan, Chrigel Farner, John Currin, Vania, Lebold rabus, Martin Eder,... perhaps more. Some of them are already wold wide famous names, but others something I saw first time in this book. And hopefully will see more in future!
