A while ago I wrote about Martin Wittfooth, but to recap:
Martin Wittfooth is a painter who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He was born in Toronto, Canada in 1981 but spent most of his childhood in Finland. He’s a heck of a painter, with a focus on animals and apocalyptic imagery.
The reason I’m writing about him at this point in time is that while perusing Hi-Fructose online, I saw that Wittfooth has a solo show of new work coming up at the Cory Helford Gallery titled “Empire”. It looks pretty awesome, as one might expect from his earlier work.
Martin Wittfooth – the Spoils
“The show is titled ‘Empire,’ and thematically explores various facets of that notion through a modern-day filter: how the behaviors of modern empires parallel those of history, and the dynamics of power and hierarchy that have always characterized them. Some of the works in the show take an allegorical approach to specific contemporary topics inherently tied up in the idea of the modern empire,” Wittfooth explained. “The term ‘empire’ has gotten an arguably bad reputation in the modern world, as history will tell us it suggests notions such as greed, conquest and dominion. Despite the protests of naysayers of the idea that the world of today is still largely in the grip and command of the empirical model, it is hard to ignore the lingering sense that history is simply repeating itself.”
– Martin Wittfooth , from Hi-Fructose Magazine
Martin Wittfooth – Harvest
This new series employs the same allegorical imagery featuring animals that I admire in his earlier work, but the compositions have become less pictorial and more iconographic – these are less like snapshots of a post-apocalyptic world and more like tarot cards, where each element bears a weightiness of implied meaning. in any case, I like them a lot. Take this piece, “Empire” – the stock market bull (riffing off the Minoan bull) juxtaposed against the skyline of New York (as seen from the Empire State Building), balanced on a girder (implying the construction of the Empire State building), swarmed by swallows (a symbol of birth). That’s some pretty rich allegory, there.
Martin Wittfooth – Empire
Wittfooth’s new show opens Saturday September 15th, at Corey Helford Gallery. More of his work can be seen on his website.
Bonus: the artist at work.
Martin Wittfooth – Empire (Work in Progress)
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Another collective noun – today, a Fesnyng of Ferrets. Although it is difficult to track down the strict etymology of the term and there are many conflicting sources, some consensus exists that it arose from a transcription error in Middle English of the then-current word for “business”. The more modern term is indeed a “business” of ferrets, but “fesnyng”, though archaic, is still in common use.
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Michael Cho is a Canadian illustrator based in Toronto. He has been at it for a long time, winning awards with his impressively wide range of work for a substantial roster of clients. Perusing one of my favourite art blogs, Canadian Art Junkie, I read that he has completed a series of drawings based on his urban environment that have been: a) made into a book; b) are on exhibit, and c) are immensely pleasing.
Award winning artist and illustrator Michael Cho has been painting the back alleys and inconspicuous locations around his Toronto home since 2006. Earlier this year these works were collected and published into his new book: Back Alleys and Urban Landscapes (Montréal: Drawn & Quarterly, 2012). He’s on exhibit at the Gallery at 129 Ossington in Toronto next month.
– Canadian Art Junkie
Cho is a skilled draftsman, and Back Alleys and Urban Landscapes shines with lovingly rendered details, from expletive-filled graffiti splayed across backyard fences to the graceful twists of power lines over a bend in the road.
…Cho lets the reader visit his city as a virtual flaneur, lingering equally over dilapidated sheds and well-groomed gardens in a dazzling tribute to the urban environs.
– Drawn and Quarterly
As an illustrator, I have a lot of respect for Cho – this is not an easy business, and he has been at it for a very long time. Stock art, the decline of publishing, and increasing competition make survival as a working artist an impressive feat. His longevity as an artist speaks to his adaptability and skill, and to see him taking on landscape drawing through the lens of his style is an interesting development on the body of work he’s better known for. In terms of the work itself, as a lover of the urban environment I too know the charm of alleys and byways – these unexpected pockets of serenity in the hustle-and-bustle of the city each tell a story for anyone willing to take the time. It’s this warp and weft of nature and manufactured space that makes up the full cloth of the urban environment, and Cho has captured it perfectly.
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Another collective noun – today, an Erst of Bees. “Erst” is another term for what is known as the “first swarm” or “prime swarm” – when bees leave their hive en masse looking for a place to build a new hive. “Erst” is also the word for “first” in German.
A swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm of bees in July isn’t worth a fly.
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One of the things I like about many illustrators is the wit in their visual metaphors.
Sébastien Thibault is an illustrator based in Matane, Quebec who has this in spades. He’s won a bunch of impressive awards and has a stack of big-name, high-profile clients. That’s not why I’m writing about him, though – it’s the richness of his visual communication. He has a knack for taking quite abstract concepts and coming up with unusual yet extremely communicative illustrations.
Student Debts (Consumer Reports)
This bit with the hole and the diploma. Wow. I love the reversal of positive and negative space here.
(Thibault) pays huge attention to objects, shapes and colors symbolic in his conceptual illustrations. For him, illustration starts with brain then comes the pencil.
– Anna Goodson Management illustrator profile
The Curious Perils of Perspective Taking (Scientific American Mind)
I know, a tin can phone? Making the string into a flame? Excellent!
How Do you Celebrate Earth Day? (Parents Today)
Leaves as candle flames. How innovative is that? Anyhow, I love Thibault’s work. More can be seen on his site. He is represented by Anna Goodson Management.
