Arty Farty Friday ~ Robert Grossman's Caustic Covers, Caricatures & Cartoons

Robert Grossman, best known as brilliant political cartoonist and magazine cover artist, was born this day,
1 March, in 1940. He died around a year ago, in March 2018, aged 78.

His politically satirical cover illustrations for iconic American publications such as The Nation, TIME, and Rolling Stone are classics. For numerous examples just Google search Robert Grossman covers and cartoons, then click on "images". This one, from 2004, with adjustment of facial likenesses, could apply to 2020!

A once famous LP cover for comedy group The Firesign Theater by Robert Grossman used a little astrology.

For the 1970 comedy recording Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers, Grossman painted a quartet of caricatures of The Firesign Theatre. The painting depicts the players as animal / human hybrids, with the animal portions signifying each member's Zodiacal sign (each was born under a Fire Sign).

(Wikipedia, link above).

Firesign Theatre material was conceived, written, and performed by its members Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman, and Philip Proctor. The group's name stems from astrology, because all four were born under the three "fire signs": Aries (Austin), Leo (Proctor), and Sagittarius (Bergman and Ossman). Their popularity peaked in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and ebbed in the Reagan Era. They experienced a revival and second wave of popularity in the 1990s and continued to write, record and perform until Bergman's death in 2012.

Astrologically, Robert Grossman himself had Sun and Mercury in Pisces, but he also had three planets (Jupiter, Venus and Saturn) in Aries, Moon in Sagittarius and Pluto in Leo - so had Firesign credentials aplenty himself.

An obituary from UK's The Independent is worth a look. It features this cartoon strip by Grossman (must have been one of his much later pieces):

For more, see Robert Grossman's website HERE.

Arty Farty Friday ~ Josh Kirby & Discworld

Some of us might be unfamiliar with the name Josh Kirby, but many of us - especially fans of the novels of the late Sir Terry Pratchett - will have seen many examples his artwork.

Ronald William "Josh" Kirby
(27 November 1928 – 23 October 2001) was a commercial artist born on the outskirts of Liverpool in the town of Waterloo, Lancashire. With a career spanning 60 years, he is known for being the original artist for Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, as well as some of science fiction's most acclaimed book cover illustrations.
See Wikipedia HERE.

Mr Kirby came by the nickname "Josh" at Liverpool City School of Art where colleagues likened his work to that of the great painter Sir Joshua Reynolds.

Kirby’s most significant milestone, in the 1980s, was teaming up with Sir Terry Pratchett.

From https://discworld.com/josh-kirby/

With the Discworld series, Josh found the perfect complement for the more fantastically humorous side of his talent, and his larger than life images exploded off the covers, inspiring many fans to dive into the Discworld.

Cover paintings for The Colour of Magic in 1983 and The Light Fantastic in 1986 quickly established Kirby as the illustrator for Discworld — at the time inseparable, like Tenniel for Alice or E.H. Shepard for Winnie-the-Pooh. Sir Terry himself said, “I only invented the Discworld, Josh created it.”

It should be noted, though, that the cognoscenti appreciated Kirby long before fame dug him in the ribs. He exhibited his paintings in London’s Portal Gallery, in ICA in Berlin, and in many provincial British galleries. Visitors to the huge art show at the 1979 World SF Convention in Brighton voted him Best SF Artist (Professional Class), when Discworld was still years away.............

After, in his own words, ‘many false starts’ he produced a pencil rough of the chosen image, to be approved by the publisher’s art editor, or, in the special case of Discworld, discussed over the phone with Sir Terry Pratchett. Although it seems like simple common sense, this artist/author contact and feedback was unusual in the publishing world, where illustrators normally dealt only with art editors. (Is it mere coincidence that authors are so frequently unhappy with their covers? Perish the thought.)

A slow worker, it took Kirby four weeks to complete a single illustration, or eight, counting the preliminary time taken to read the novel, select and visualize suitable images, and draw sketches to work out how they could be best presented.

When asked about influences, he most often named three past artists. The oldest was Hieronymus Bosch, famous for those teeming, surreally fantastic landscapes of heaven and hell. Next was Pieter Bruegel the Elder, with his hauntingly detailed groups of warts-and-all Flemish peasants, and finally muralist Frank Brangwyn, who made bold use of colour in his large scale, monumental compositions.

Josh Kirby Art is a website dedicated to this artist and the best place to see more of his work.

ASTROLOGY

For any stray passing astrology fan, I'll post a 12 noon natal chart for Josh Kirby, with a link to my archived post containing the natal chart of Sir Terry Pratchett. Notable points, for me are Kirby's Sun and Saturn in Sagittarius (see this quote from above linked extract: "Josh found the perfect complement for the more fantastically humorous side of his talent, and his larger than life images exploded off the covers...") How much more Sagittarius-like could an artist's style be? His Venus in Earthy Capricorn, though, linked to Capricorn's ruler Saturn in Sagittarius acts as a disciplinary factor, ensuring this artist is practical and careful too. (See above extract, again: "A slow worker, it took Kirby four weeks to complete a single illustration, or eight, counting the preliminary time taken to read the novel, select and visualize suitable images, and draw sketches to work out how they could be best presented.") Uranus in Aries, in harmonious trine to his natal Sun reflects his ease in coming up with the unusual and unexpected, sufficient to match Sir Terry's own wild imaginings.


A link between Josh Kirby's and Sir Terry Pratchett's natal charts exists via Kirby's Jupiter in Taurus, close enough to sir Terry's natal Sun/Mercury to be considered conjunct!

Josh Kirby born on 27 November 1928 in Waterloo, Lancashire, UK.

Arty Farty Friday ~ Émile-Antoine Bayard & Cosette

Born this day, in 1837: Émile-Antoine Bayard (November 2, 1837 – 6 December 1891). He was a French illustrator born in La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, Seine-et-Marne. A student of Léon Cogniet, and is now best remembered for his illustration of Cosette from Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. He died in Cairo. (Wikipedia).

Young Cosette sweeping: 1862 drawing for Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. The illustration has been used in promotional art for various versions of the musical adaptation of the novel. Bayard drew many other scenes from the novel too - no doubt used as guides by the producers and directors of stage and film adaptations.

Bayard illustrated several other famous books, notably Around the Moon by Jules Verne (1870). See illustrations and information at The Public domain Review HERE. This was years before H.G. Wells brought science fiction to the masses in the 1890s, possibly these are some of the first sci-fi related illustrations ever.

There are other oddities among his many illustrations, for instance a duel between two women, and a sequel - their reconciliation! (Click on illustrations for clearer views.)

Astrologically, Émile-Antoine Bayard had Sun in Scorpio, his natal chart is at Astrotheme HERE. His Scorpio Sun is at 10 degrees and in harmonious trine with Uranus at 4 degrees of Pisces, close to midheaven. If time of birth at Astrotheme is near correct, Cancer was rising at 10 degrees - forming a Grand Trine (harmonious circuit)in the astrological Water element. I suspect this is the root source of the intuition and imagination used in his memorable illustrations, with Venus, planet of the arts in Sagittarius, ensuring that his work was widely published.

Arty Farty Friday ~ Birthdays today: James Rizzi & Carson Ellis

James Rizzi, born on October 5, 1950; died December 26, 2011. He was an American pop artist who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.




HIS MOTTO WAS:"Keep on smiling"..James Rizzi studied Fine Arts at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. He came up with the idea of 3D multiples now mostly associated with his name when, having taken classes in painting, printmaking and sculpturing, he had to hand in grade work for all three subjects, but only had time for doing one. So he created an etching, printed it twice, handcolored it, and mounted parts of the one print on top of the other, using wire as a means of adding depth. Having received good grades from all three teachers, he stuck with the idea and developed it further.

Carson Ellis, born October 5, 1975 in Vancouver, British Columbia is an artist known for her children's book illustrations and her album art.

Influential artist Carson Ellis made her solo picture-book debut with a whimsical tribute to the many possibilities of home:

Arty Farty Friday ~ "Nanu"

This is fun!
Famous Artists Depicted As Animals In Art History In Series Of Humorous Illustrations

The artists illustrated by Krishna "Nanu" Chavda cover more genres than painters, but for Arty Farty Friday I've borrowed a trio of painters as samples - do go see the rest!

Chavda’s imagination is so wild, she sees famous artists in animals. She has created a series of 10 illustrations based on either a self-portrait of an artist, one of their artworks, or the artists’ art-making techniques.

The artist, Krishna Chavda, originally from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, spent much of her time as a child drawing or building something from paper with tape and staples. In 2011, she earned her MFA in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

The artist's own website is HERE.

Note: My own archived post on Keith Haring is HERE.

Note: One of my own archived posts on Jackson Pollock is HERE.

Note: I could've sworn I'd done a post on Leonardo, but if I did, it's lost, sunk without trace! Here's a mention in one of my posts, of another artist who has written and illustrated a book about the great Leonardo:

Arty Farty Friday ~ James Henry Daugherty

There have been so many painters and illustrators in the USA over the decades, that it's not surprising when some of their names get lost in the mix to most of us. Art auctioneers, collectors and others "in the trade" do keep tabs on some of the lesser known artists, however.

James Henry Daugherty is one such artist whose name I hadn't come across before. He was born on June 1st, as it happen, today would have been his birthday.

I haven't yet found a photograph of him online, but here is his "Self portrait with Editor".

James Henry Daugherty (June 1, 1889, Asheville, North Carolina – February 21, 1974, Boston, Massachusetts) was an American modernist painter, muralist, children's book author, and illustrator. He lived in Indiana, Ohio, and at the age of 9 he moved to Washington, D.C., where he studied at the Corcoran School of Art. Later, he went to London and studied under Frank Brangwyn. During World War I, he was commissioned to produce propaganda posters for various US Government agencies, including the United States Shipping Board.
Daugherty wrote and illustrated several children's books during his career, and his book Daniel Boone won the Newbery Medal. His book with Benjamin Elkin, Gillespie and the Guards, won the Caldecott Honor in 1957. He was also the author of Walt Whitman's America Selections and Drawings by James Daugherty.
Four huge murals by James Daugherty, entitled The Spirit of Pageantry—Africa, The Spirit of Drama—Europe, The Spirit of Cinema—America, and The Spirit of Fantasy—Asia are located in the State Theatre (Cleveland, Ohio) which is part of the beautiful Playhouse Square theater district in downtown Cleveland, Ohio
Wikipedia

Steel Mill

 UnAmerican Activities

 Food

 Ham & Hash

 Social Commentary

 WPA poster

WPA poster

ASTROLOGY

Briefly: James Henry Daugherty's natal chart, set for 12 noon on 1 June 1889, Ashville, North Carolina. He was largely a Gemini/Cancer mix, with Venus, planet of the arts in Taurus, in helpful sextile to Mercury in Cancer and harmonious trine to Jupiter in Capricorn, a strong Earthy connection, which is apparent in his work, along with his interest in the lives of ordinary people, in his day.

Arty Farty Friday ~ Arnold Friberg

Arnold Friberg, a once widely popular artist of historical and religious scenes, with a painstaking quest for stunning realism. His quest led him to Valley Forge, on a winter’s day to paint what became a famous portrait of George Washington praying in the snow. Friberg died in 2010 in Salt Lake City, aged 96.

 The Prayer at Valley Forge

Arnold Friberg was born on Dec. 21, 1913, in Winnetka, Illinois, where his Swedish father and Norwegian mother had immigrated three years before he was born. When he was 3 the family moved to Arizona, where they converted to Mormonism. By age 13, he was earning a living as an apprentice to a sign painter.

Keeping it brief today - any stray readers will no doubt have seasonal matters to attend to!

Just one more painting by Arnold Friberg, one with seasonal relevance, and a part of the Christmas Story that I find always fascinating:

 Following the Star

Arty Farty Friday ~ Alton Tobey

The internet seems uncertain whether Alton Tobey was born on 5th or 15th November 1914. He was an American artist whose work included hundreds of historical illustrations for Golden Books, portraits of luminaries such as Albert Einstein and Robert Merrill, and large-scale murals that hang in courthouses and museums such as the Smithsonian and the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum. Two of his portraits, "The Apollo Astronauts" and "Brothers United" - of John and Robert Kennedy - were reproduced on posters and sold millions of copies.

Tobey's historical paintings and murals were done in an almost stereotypical idealism, but he also worked in a variety of other styles, including "curvilinear," a decorative, semiabstract form he invented.

In the 1980s,Tobey began producing "Fragments," a series of photorealistic body parts - hands, lips, half a face - magnified by several times. Although his paintings of the famous tended to valorize their subjects in best civic-lesson style, Tobey was also capable of trenchant criticism, as in a weird multiple portrait of Ronald Reagan in which the former president disappears, Cheshire Cat-style, except for his grin.

Further detail is at this obituary, from which the above information was taken. Alton Tobey died in 2005.

As there's doubt on Mr Tobey's exact date of birth I shall give astrology an arty farty break this week.

One or two examples of Alton Tobey's artwork:

 Battle of The Alamo

 The Last Judgment.This painting  represents a final stage in a number of evolutions of his Curvilinear style of paintings

 Hands

Arty Farty Friday ~ N.C. Wyeth & Family

It's not difficult to identify mini-dynasties, of sorts, among some who make their marks in different spheres of life: political dynasties (Adams; Kennedy; Clinton?) Acting dynasties (Bridges; Douglas; Carradine; Redgrave) etc. Painting/illustration dynasties, in the USA, include the Wyeths.

N.C. Wyeth, in full Newell Convers Wyeth
(born October 22, 1882, Needham, Massachusetts — died October 19, 1945, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania), American illustrator and muralist.

Wyeth was raised on a farm, and he learned drafting and illustration in Boston before studying with the master illustrator Howard Pyle. He first found success in depicting the American West. During his career he contributed his memorable illustrations to more than 100 books, including a famous series of children’s classics, including Treasure Island, Kidnapped, King Arthur, Robin Hood, and The Black Arrow, and he also produced numerous murals in public buildings. He was the teacher of his son, the painter Andrew Wyeth. [N.C. Wyeth was grandfather of Jamie Wyeth - also a painter.]

My blog-post relating to N.C. Wyeth's son, Andrew, mentions that: His father was a benevolent tyrant, dominating his five offspring while encouraging them to be geniuses by allowing only the best music, the best poetry in the house. Andrew was his favorite, a "daddy's boy."

N.C. Wyeth, described, elsewhere, as a strapping, engaging man, was also said to have suffered from depression and questioned the direction of his life and career. He died on October 19, 1945, in Chadds Ford, when the car he was driving was hit by a train; the automobile also contained a young grandson, who perished as well.

From Wikipedia:

"Wyeth's exuberant personality and talent made him a standout student. A robust, powerfully built young man with strangely delicate hands, he ate a lot less than his size implied. He admired great literature, music, and drama, and he enjoyed spirited conversation"

"Wyeth created a stimulating household for his talented children Andrew Wyeth, Henriette Wyeth Hurd, Carolyn Wyeth, Ann Wyeth McCoy, and Nathaniel C. Wyeth. Wyeth was very sociable, and frequent visitors included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joseph Hergesheimer, Hugh Walpole, Lillian Gish, and John Gilbert. According to Andrew, who spent the most time with his father on account of his sickly childhood, Wyeth was a strict but patient father who did not talk down to his children. His hard work as an illustrator gave his family the financial freedom to follow their own artistic and scientific pursuits. Andrew went on to become one of the foremost American artists of the second half of the 20th century, and both Henriette and Carolyn became artists also; Ann became an artist and composer. Nathaniel became an engineer for DuPont and worked on the team that invented the plastic soda bottle. Henriette and Ann married two of Wyeth's protégés, Peter Hurd and John W. McCoy. Wyeth is the grandfather of artists Jamie Wyeth and Michael Hurd and the musician Howard Wyeth.[14]"

For some fine examples of N.C. Wyeth's illustrations, please do take a look at the large versions contained in a blog post by Nate Taylor - HERE.

I'll include just one of N.C.'s magazine cover illustrations, from 1921:

In 1945, Wyeth and his grandson (Nathaniel C. Wyeth's son) were killed when the automobile they were riding in was struck by a freight train at a railway crossing near his Chadds Ford home. At the time, Wyeth had been working on an ambitious series of murals for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company depicting the Pilgrims at Plymouth, a series completed by Andrew Wyeth and John McCoy.

No time of birth is available for N.C. Wyeth. A 12 noon chart for the day of his birth indicates:

"... exuberant personality...robust, powerfully built..." these observations, I'd say relate to natal Jupiter in harmonious trine to his Sun and Mercury on the cusp of Libra/Scorpio.

"...also said to have suffered from depression and questioned the direction of his life and career" - relates, in my opinion, to natal Mars and North Node in occasionally paranoid and intense Scorpio.

There's some orchestrated Fixed sign opposition going on between Fixed signs Scorpio and Taurus, this could account for the description of N.C. Wyeth as a "benevolent tyrant" - extremely fixed ideas on the way his children should develop.

Natal chart for N.C.'s son Andrew is available at the link provided in the post. There's evidence of a Watery Cancerian inheritance from the father - a softer version, strengthened considerably by Leo input and an Aries Moon. Jupiter on his ascendant could also be an inheritance from Dad, a whisper from the Jupiter trine Sun in his father's chart.

 Left to right:  Jamie, Andrew, N.C.

As for Jamie Wyeth (James Browning Wyeth, born July 6, 1946, he might be fodder for some future Arty Farty post; I can see, even from here, that the Watery Cancerian element has seeped through!

Arty Farty Friday ~ Michael Whelan

Fantasy artist Michael Whelan was born on 29 June 1950 - this video is a good place to begin discovering his style.



The artist's own website has lots of interesting content.

For a few large-sized images of some of his work, take a look at THIS WEBSITE.

Lots more examples accessible via Google Image

Michael Whelan's art immediately brought to mind the styles of two other arty Michaels I've covered in the past (and more than once): Michael Parkes and Michael Cheval.

Michael Whelan's natal chart is available at Astrotheme. It's easy to spot his "draw" to fantasy and sci-fi, his Sun and Uranus are conjunct at 7 and 5 degrees of Cancer. Uranus links to all things futuristic, unreal or "other". Neptune is thought to link to fantasy, yet, when one thinks on it, Uranus in its eccentricity has to have similar connection. His natal Sun at 7 Cancer, in any case, is in tight trine to Jupiter in Pisces (the Neptune-ruled sign).

Arty Farty Friday ~ Illustrating Generations: Coby Whitmore & Jeff Soto.

It's interesting to compare and contrast the work of two artist/illustrators from different generations and note how they reflect the tenor of their times. Both artists had Sun in Gemini, one born on 11 June 1913, the other on 3 June 1975. Their artwork has little in common other than an obvious innate talent, but it does reflect back the "flavour" of the times in which their talent became known, and acclaimed by many. Also in common: these artists' work has been mainly for ordinary people to enjoy, rather than to impress a coterie of elite art snobs.

Born 11 June 1913: Maxwell "Coby" Whitmore.
Born 3 June 1975: Jeff Soto.

Natal charts are added, for reference only, at the end of this post.

Coby Whitmore, Painter and magazine illustrator known for his Saturday Evening Post covers, and a commercial artist whose work included advertisements for Gallo Wine and other national brands. He additionally became known as a race-car designer. He was born on the cusp of the first World War, matured at the dawn of another World War, his work relates mainly to the years immediately following the end of that second world conflagration. It shines with hope and expectation, coloured by The American Dream.

He was one of the top magazine illustrators in the 1940s and 1950s, who "monopolized the ladies' magazines like McCall's, Ladies Home Journal, and Good Housekeeping with postwar images of the ideal white American family centered around pretty, middle-class, female consumers living happily in new kitchens, new houses, driving new cars, living with handsome husbands, adorable children, and cute dogs".

Racing cars, illustrating, and smart clothes on good-looking women,” Whitmore said these were his three primary interests. While Whitmore the racer was simply indulging in a hobby, Whitmore the artist was a fastidious professional who, writes Reed, was “so inventive over so long a time in doing variations on the theme of ‘boy meets girl.’

Whitmore was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1978.
See Saturday Evening Post HERE.

See House of Retro for some good-sized illustrations of Whitmore's work - I'll borrow just one:

Or this video shows a good selection of his illustrations:



Some of his illustrations remind me of Norman Rockwell's style (same broad era), others are not a million miles away from 1940s and 50s pin-up art, though subjects are better clothed, less intentionally titillating. Whitmore must have had quite an eye for fashion, as well as the skill to depict it correctly.

Coby Whitmore died in October 1988.

Jeff Soto, born shortly after the end of the Vietnam War, matured as the end of the 20th century approached.
His distinct color palette, subject matter and technique have been said to bridge the gap between Pop Surrealism and Street Art.

Early on, horror, science fiction, and fantasy movies and television were another influence, in particular Star Wars, Robotech, and Mtv. In college, Soto discovered and was inspired by artists such as Max Ernst, Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, Amedio Modigliani, Van Gogh and Paul Cadmus.


Soto lives and works in California with his wife and two daughters.

The artist's own website.

Some good-sized images of his work can be seen at The Dancing Rest

A sample:

 The Corruption of Mankind

Re the above painting, and taken from an interview in 2009 HERE:

Soto: I painted it during the big stock market crash in October. I was thinking about the greed of corporate America, and how it’s easy to blame them, but the people in our country are just as much to blame. The big houses, SUV’s, designer purses, all these expensive status symbols that regular people cannot afford, are also one of the factors that brought our economy down. I jokingly blame Mtv shows from ten years ago- Pimp My Ride, Cribs, and all these reality shows made my generation and younger think it normal to live like the rich. People tried that and overextended themselves which is one of the reasons we’re in this mess. What ever happened to being smart with your money? That’s one of the things I was exploring with that piece.

Here's the artist describing one facet of his work: prints on wood.



and more:



These charts are set for 12 noon as birth times are unknown. I'm not inclined to attempt interpretation, but leave them here for any passing astrology fan to ponder upon. Larger versions will emerge by clicking on the images.

By the way - look again at the photographs of the artists in the post above - I see a likeness!


Coby Whitmore born 11 June 1913 in Dayton Ohio.

Jeff Soto born 3 June 1975 in Fullerton, California.

Arty Farty Friday, Saturday and Sundry New Year Babes

J.C. Leyendecker, one of the USA's hugely talented early 20th century illustrators, had a regular "gig" providing pleasing and apt illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post. (There's an old post partially on Leyendecker HERE.) Particularly memorable were his New Year covers. These depicted the incoming 12 months as a wee baby, appropriately occupied to indicate whatever was expected to be prominent in the year ahead.

I've captured a few images of Leyendecker's New Year babes and wonder if, because history is said to rhyme, any of them would, rhyming-wise, be appropriate to what lies before us as we trundle, dazed and confused, into 2017.

The general idea

 Middle East Concerns?

 New Infrastructure jobs?

 Attempt to capture peace?

 Bringing jobs back to the USA?

 Ready for climate change?

 Ready for a painful landing?

 Under the iron grip of....?

Finally...

 Always my favourite!