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"I always considered Robert Williams' work among the most highbrow of the low brows. His use of color and painterly ways made his work art to me, instead of illustration. I looked on it as inspiration, but never hoped to emulate his painting. I stuck to the ballpoints, sharpies and xerox, techniques I learned making flyer art for HxCx shows, so many years ago. I did however borrow from his combination of iconic images, compositional structures and the mash up of cartoon styles and more realistically depicted forms. In this piece, the chica is iconic-front and center like Botticelli's "Birth of Venus." The Tex Avery-reactions of the onlookers is far from subtle. No archaic symbolism. No bowl-of-fruit-sexuality. I chose to flip his SoCal theme to a New York one. Making it even less subtle but maybe more layered with meaning. The faces reflecting many races of my city, with their attraction being the freedom and liberty of the American Dream. New York has always been my antidote to the American nightmare. Lulled to an easy complacency in the suburbs I grew up in. The struggle of living in the city, fuels a self reflection that I haven't found anywhere else. The sometimes seedy underbelly of American life can represent the worst or the best. That's something Robert Williams seems to appreciate as well. Which is why I appreciate his art." Christian Acker is the Sr Art Director of Zoo York Skateboards. He is the founder and Principal Designer of Handselecta, a project documenting graffiti handstyles and collaborating on artists fonts. He lives in Queens, NY with his wife and 3 children. And occasionally still does flyer art under the name of Adnauseum. |
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