Monday, August 10, 2009

Religious Imagery at Beach Blanket Bingo

At Jonathan LeVine's Beach Blanket Bingo, there was a little bit of everything -- gnomes, chef hot dogs, you name it. A couple of the artists found unique ways to bring up religious iconography in their art.

Rick Froberg is a Brooklyn-based (though originally from L.A.) artist. He is also the guitarist/vocalist of the band Obits.

In his illustration, Old Europe, one can see a church radiating in the background of a rather frenetic street scene.

Rick Froberg's Old Europe


Turf One, the street name of Jean Labourdette, is a French artist. He has made art for clients such as Le Cirque du Soleil, Kanye West, and Universal Music.

Birds play a central role in both Holy Ghost and Animita. In Holy Ghost, a bird is depicted with a halo around its head. The bird appears to be a crow and possibly even a raven (a type of crow), which has throughout history been thought of as a symbol of the creation of human beings, the mediator between life and death, and a trickster.

Turf One's Holy Ghost (a detail)

In Animita, an unidentified bird perches upon a cross that sits on top of a church/house-box that encloses the face of a man. Right below the roof, a little over the top of the man's head, is one eye. The eye is a symbol of knowledge.


Turf One's Animita (a detail)


What are your interpretations of these works?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

it seems like the man's head -- his mind -- is trapped/contained by the church.