The Art of Speigelman

Art Spiegelman
Self Portrait with Maus Mask, 1989

It was a gorgeous day yesterday, and I went downtown with my wife and daughter (Cathy and Brynne), to — among other things — take a stroll through the Vancouver Art Gallery. The exhibit that intrigued me the most was Art Spiegelman’s CO-MIX: A Retrospective of Comics, Graphics and Scraps. The exhibit includes more than four hundred preparatory drawings, studies, detailed drawings, sketches, et cetera, with connections to his early 1970s work in underground ‘comix’ (under the leadership of Robert Crumb), his award-winning Maus, and some newer works.

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I was amazed at the extent of Spiegelman’s high-quality output, and with the variety of style, subject, and composition. It was particularly interesting to see the process from scraps, through sketches with notes, studies, detailed drawings and, finally, the finished work. It was also nice to see some of the imperfections in his work; the kind of thing that is sanitized for public consumption — I rather like the slight smudges, et cetera: they add an essential layer of reality.

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It was also an eye-opener to see the detail, depth, and quality of the Maus compositions: the product available in book form doesn’t do the work justice.

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If you have a chance to see the show in Vancouver, or if it comes to a city near you in the future, I highly recommend a trip to view the works; particularly if you have any intention of becoming an illustrator, graphic artist, writing your own graphic novel, or if you just enjoy the art form; especially, of course, if you are a fan of Art Spiegelman.

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A Stanislaw Lem Euro-Google-Doodle

While attempting to write a review of Stanislaw Lem’s novel His Master’s Voice, I lost my concentration, began to surf the web, and came across a Euro Google-Doodle (from November, 2011) that I’d missed. The doodle commemorated the 60th anniversary of Lem’s first published work. So, for any other Lem fans (or other interested parties) who missed the doodle…

The doodle depicts two characters from The Cyberiad; the creators, Trurl and Klapaucius. The doodle features excellent animation by Sofia Foster-Dimino, who recreated the whimsical characters first drawn by Daniel Mroz, who illustrated several  Stanislaw Lem books.

The doodle is also a game; a series of puzzles (powered by HTML5, programmed by Marcin Wichary). As the player solves each puzzle, an element is collected and a new level is opened. There are three levels (math questions, identification of synchronous waves, and launching robots up to a satellite). When the three elements are collected, the final animation sequence is revealed. Click on the image below to go to the animated doodle-game; or, go to this YouTube video to watch the entire animation (~ 5 minutes). There is also an interesting Washington Post Article on the Lem-Euro-Doodle.

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The Creative Process

When creating, it can be difficult to set the image free without resorting to manipulation: an unbiased hand is required.

Do not force, push or bully… let the image flow naturally from the void.

The creation may not be what you intended, but I think that this makes all the difference between art and intellectualism.

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