tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post9162439781370891336..comments2024-03-28T22:57:07.128-04:00Comments on ILLUSTRATION ART: MASTERS OF DESIGNDavid Apatoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11293486149879229016noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-16954261673091872462014-03-21T08:04:49.775-04:002014-03-21T08:04:49.775-04:00Nice pictures! Very interesting)Nice pictures! Very interesting)Virginia Clarksonhttp://special-essays.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-36250891489712486182009-08-29T03:19:54.481-04:002009-08-29T03:19:54.481-04:00superb blogsuperb blogpaper helphttp://www.superbpapers.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-38035358056938572182008-05-10T14:52:00.000-04:002008-05-10T14:52:00.000-04:00good artists copy, great artists stealgood artists copy, great artists stealAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-38234446260369605852008-01-19T13:20:00.000-05:002008-01-19T13:20:00.000-05:00wow, what a discussion. personally I enjoyed your ...wow, what a discussion. personally I enjoyed your blog very muchAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-11027694409780454522007-11-26T09:18:00.000-05:002007-11-26T09:18:00.000-05:00Nice expamle! Actually the most i liked the top on...Nice expamle! Actually the most i liked the top one!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-48535887518847081902007-11-25T18:22:00.000-05:002007-11-25T18:22:00.000-05:00that's so kind of you to say, david--thank you.i w...that's so kind of you to say, david--thank you.<BR/><BR/>i wanted to tell kev that my blog also has a lot of western artists who are clearly very strongly influenced by the japanese work.<BR/><BR/>and i wanted to thank gareth for mentioning dowd, who was new to me, and i like his work!lotusgreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04393867916489599891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-70752839022390452032007-11-25T14:14:00.000-05:002007-11-25T14:14:00.000-05:00Thanks, Mark and John. I am glad you share my ent...Thanks, Mark and John. I am glad you share my enthusiasm for these prints. John, they are not from a any book. They are just images I've picked up along the way.<BR/><BR/>Lotusgreen, I am flattered to hear from such an expert. Your Japonisme blog has some of the nicest Japanese art around.David Apatoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11293486149879229016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-17832420492405739312007-11-25T00:39:00.000-05:002007-11-25T00:39:00.000-05:00i like your choices. they're now reprinting the ar...i like your choices. they're now reprinting the arthur wesley dow composition books, including <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/048646007X/sr=1-2/qid=1195968769/ref=dp_image_text_0/104-2803138-0470345?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1195968769&sr=1-2" REL="nofollow">this one</A> which clearly extrapolates from the japanese.<BR/><BR/>of course his was nice because he didn't use them so much as models as lessonslotusgreenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04393867916489599891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-14392342311068140952007-11-24T04:37:00.000-05:002007-11-24T04:37:00.000-05:00David:Love these prints. Are they under one roof i...David:<BR/>Love these prints. Are they under one roof in a book available for purchase? They're really beautiful and illustrate your point quite powerfully.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-55621520853303452532007-11-22T01:17:00.000-05:002007-11-22T01:17:00.000-05:00In a lesser or greater degree all of those prints ...In a lesser or greater degree all of those prints show more design sense than a lot of whats out there, and they're certainly far ahead of me. Now I have to take a much closer look at them. Thanx for reminding us about this stuff.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08647357367202337917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-32047823690345105832007-11-21T14:24:00.000-05:002007-11-21T14:24:00.000-05:00cummon, I would be 50-something!? Think again! (bo...cummon, I would be 50-something!? Think again! (bone through nose is correct ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-39658394621858645362007-11-21T11:11:00.000-05:002007-11-21T11:11:00.000-05:00Wow, you'd think with all the people whom apprecia...Wow, you'd think with all the people whom appreciate good design that are out there bad design simply wouldn't exist..hehe Having designed things in the line of POP display signage to (supposedly) easier to read mortgage statements and catalog order forms I think I can say one really knows a good design when one sees it, not in ones own works, but all around...Street signs to fast food menus to actually being able to enjoy a Rothko...<BR/><BR/> by the by, McGinnis rules the roost...his design sensibility is uncanny...take out the realism, trace over a pic using just forms and it is visible...<BR/><BR/>gareth, thanks for that Dowd link, never had heard of 'em, and not sure if it is the thrill of some thing as yet newly discovered by mine eyes, but that pencil work is masterly!! A graphite link between Leyendecker and Lautrec almost...<BR/>(yes yet another comparison! to illustrate a point...)Hattermadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13202799919439771096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-20621041738558246502007-11-21T10:40:00.000-05:002007-11-21T10:40:00.000-05:00Hi David, I discovered your blog last week and hav...Hi David, I discovered your blog last week and have since been reading through the archives like a man possessed! I love what you do here. I have found many pieces of art and artists I would never have known about otherwise (Hele being my favourite so far!). I am a big fan of drawing in particular, nothing can compare to a well observed, well crafted drawing in my opinion.<BR/><BR/>I was wondering if you knew anything about an illustrator by the name of J. H. Dowd? I have a book of his from the 30's called Important People, with some wonderful sketches and illustrations mostly of children. I can't seem to find out about much else he has done apart from this list of books though. <BR/><BR/>http://www.childscapes.com/bookpages/dowd.html<BR/><BR/>Do you know of him?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, keep it up. These woodblocks are excellent, not just for the pure design but for their texture too (although I guess that part of the design).Garethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11059365821734590234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-86050153323450761192007-11-20T23:00:00.000-05:002007-11-20T23:00:00.000-05:00Andrew, we all "struggle with design." Personally...Andrew, we all "struggle with design." Personally, I think that composition is one element of design. <BR/><BR/>Professors of aesthetics instruct us that aesthetic concepts such as "design" cannot be achieved logically through the application of some set of objective features. Unlike normal words, they are always dependent to some extent on an element of taste or perceptiveness. If that's true, it suggests that these dialogues may get us closer but they will never take us all the way.David Apatoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11293486149879229016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-41418047226216667712007-11-20T21:31:00.000-05:002007-11-20T21:31:00.000-05:00Nathan, I think those are excellent comparisons. Y...Nathan, I think those are excellent comparisons. You have paired artists more ably than I could have done.<BR/><BR/>I was trying with my examples to isolate (to the extent possible) pure design, unencumbered by the distractions of realism or perspective or lighting or shading or message. Frazetta, McGinnis and the other artists you mention all combine design with these other complicating ingredients. I thought design might be easiest to recognize as flat geometric patterns and shapes in woodblock prints. Maybe not.David Apatoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11293486149879229016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-5110909802106050932007-11-20T21:16:00.000-05:002007-11-20T21:16:00.000-05:00Tania my savage friend, I don't know how I ended u...Tania my savage friend, I don't know how I ended up as the guardian for standards. It certainly is a thankless task. <BR/><BR/>It would be far more rewarding to wear a leopard skin outfit and practice pagan rituals in the treetops. Unfortunately, so many smug people take such comfort from the abandonment of standards, I can't resist pointing out a few inconvenient facts for them to step over. And whenever I do, I can always count on a comment from you scolding me for my narrow mindedness. <BR/><BR/>I don't know who you are or what country you live in, but I always envision you as the last surviving member of the Baader-Meinhof gang, living in a cave on the outskirts of town perhaps with a bone through your nose. Tell the truth: am I close?David Apatoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11293486149879229016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-25679436693313617322007-11-20T20:18:00.000-05:002007-11-20T20:18:00.000-05:00Though these Japanese prints are lovely and aptly ...Though these Japanese prints are lovely and aptly show good design, if you are going to suggest that the folks you named lack a sense of design, perhaps the point would be better served by comparing them to people who do have a design sense, but within the same genre and style. So, for instance...<BR/><BR/>Bama vs McGinnis<BR/>Boris vs Frazetta<BR/>Rowena vs Whelan<BR/>Vargas vs Petty<BR/><BR/>You know, so it's not a case of apples and elephants.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-1105384270596010542007-11-20T19:04:00.000-05:002007-11-20T19:04:00.000-05:00standards, once again, oh David!.. You're a such a...standards, once again, oh David!.. You're a such a renegade :-)<BR/>Wonder if I shouldn't.... No! Just:Hello!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-31999830204435535382007-11-20T16:43:00.000-05:002007-11-20T16:43:00.000-05:00hmm, I've always struggled with understanding desi...hmm, I've always struggled with understanding design. As soon as I want to lay down some rules about how it must go I realize that that is the wrong way to go about it... but on the other hand I wonder how one goes about learning it.<BR/><BR/>I do have a question though: What is the difference between composition and design? (if there is one)Andrew Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14998570040027569659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-69456500970803343132007-11-20T12:13:00.000-05:002007-11-20T12:13:00.000-05:00Dan, I think you're exactly right, that top print ...Dan, I think you're exactly right, that top print stands out head and shoulders above the others. Isn't it interesting that, with no established criteria or objective grading system, people can still recognize aesthetic quality?David Apatoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11293486149879229016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-84048135855284493782007-11-20T02:12:00.000-05:002007-11-20T02:12:00.000-05:00Excellent examples in the prints, especially the t...Excellent examples in the prints, especially the top one. Beautiful.Dan P. Carrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05541932273921435333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-63137805417941025692007-11-19T21:52:00.000-05:002007-11-19T21:52:00.000-05:00*from (damn, no spell check in my brain, gotta fir...*from (damn, no spell check in my brain, gotta fire the internal editor...)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-24368655827192422562007-11-19T21:51:00.000-05:002007-11-19T21:51:00.000-05:00Ah, an animated comment section! People talking am...Ah, an animated comment section! People talking amongst themselves! Been waiting for the day.... Yay for you guys!<BR/><BR/>And D, you don't always give a good compared to a "bad", but I agree with Hattermad that contrasts do help frame life, and you do it well, with dignity & even when criticized. But I think I repeat myself form some previous observation. Oh well, I'm that dull.<BR/><BR/>catherineAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-31317618216021672592007-11-19T16:34:00.000-05:002007-11-19T16:34:00.000-05:00AMEN! Hit the nail on the head...One does not know...AMEN! Hit the nail on the head...One does not know what "light" is without "Dark" to compare it to. Yin and Yang, every culture, creed, cult, yammering whack job on the street knows this, or should at least...but maybe they're just caught up in admiring accurately rendered boring threads. Go out and enjoy a Lipking, Wyeth or a Liepke and marvel at the detail created without the use of a single hair rigger! Boris could learn a thing from the aforementioned.Hattermadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13202799919439771096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12189014.post-58200284270009746802007-11-19T15:47:00.000-05:002007-11-19T15:47:00.000-05:00Anonymous, your comment caused me to skim over my ...Anonymous, your comment caused me to skim over my ten previous postings. I could only find one with a negative point (the point that I don't value fine lines and detail as much as I once did). So hopefully you don't "always" leave here bummed out. Maybe just one in ten times?<BR/><BR/>But there's another issue worth addressing because it goes to my motivation in doing something like this blog. If you ever find me gratuitously whacking "some shlub," you and others are welcome to blast me for it. The artists I pick on are usually not shlubs, but cultural idols surrounded by adoring fans. Many are published in the New York Times or exhibited in museums and receive handsome sums for their work. In my view, many of them are the beneficiaries of our current cultural motto, "It's all good." <BR/><BR/>That's not my motto. I believe that standards are real, and that there is a difference between good and bad art. I further believe that sometimes the difference between good and bad has no connection to the artist's fame or fortune, so it's worth thinking hard and speaking clearly about the nature of artistic merit. <BR/><BR/>When people write that some flavor-of-the-month artist is a "genius," (or that Art Spiegelman is a Michelangelo or Chris Ware is a Bach) I push back simply to preserve the integrity of the language. I respect words, and want them to continue to have a meaning. <BR/><BR/>Mostly, I want to honor the accomplishments of a lot of under appreciated artists who didn't have the right press agent or live at the right time to get a lucrative film deal, but who dedicated themselves to pursuing high artistic standards. As William Blake said, the only reason for asserting any truth is to defend others who know it.David Apatoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11293486149879229016noreply@blogger.com