(Robert Williams)
(Robert Williams)Even though the term “lowbrow” was coined during the mid 1990’s(we’ll get there) by Robert Williams, the roots of the movement, also known as pop surrealism, go back decades to Southern California hotrods called“Kustom Kars” and surf culture.
Ed “Big Daddy” Roth is frequently credited with getting Lowbrow, as a movement, underway by creating Rat Fink in the late 1950s. During the 60’s, Lowbrow (not known as such, then) branched out into underground Comix- particularly Zap and the work of R. Crumb, Victor Moscoso, and the aforementioned Robert Williams.
(Victor Moscoso)
Over the years, Lowbrow has unapologetically picked up influences from classic cartoons, 60’s TV sitcoms, psychedelic (and any other type of) rock music, pulp art, soft porn, comic books, sci-fi, “B” (or lower) horror movies, Japanese anime and black velvet Elvis, among many other “subcultural” offerings. (via About)
Most lowbrow artworks are paintings, but there are also toys, digital art, and sculpture.
Juxtapoz
Unique in the field of publishing, Juxtapoz emerged at a critical moment during the genesis of the late-20th Century underground art movement with the mission of connecting seminal modern genres like psychedelic and hot rod art, graffiti, street art, and illustration, to the context of broader more historically recognized genres of art like Pop, assemblage, old master painting, and conceptual art. Although based in San Francisco, Juxtapoz was founded upon the belief in the virtues of Southern California Pop Culture and the freedom from the conventions of the “established” New York art world that governed the industry. Today, Juxtapoz is widely credited with being the unifying force that drew together the various satellite art movements like street art and Pop Surrealism, into one coherent movement of “alternative art” that evolved so rapidly during the late ’90s and early ’00s.(info via Wikipedia)
“Big Break” Artists from Juxtapoz include KAWS, Mark Ryden, Barry McGee, Todd Schorr, Camille Rose Garcia, Tim Biskup, and Tom Sachs
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Origins of the term “Lowbrow”
(KAWS)
In an article in the February 2006 issue of his magazine Juxtapoz, Robert Williams took credit for originating the term “lowbrow art.” He stated that in 1979 Gilbert Shelton of the publisher Rip-Off Press decided to produce a book featuring Willams’ paintings. Williams said he decided to give the book the self-deprecating title, “The Lowbrow Art of Robt. Williams” since no authorized art institution would recognize his type of art. “Lowbrow” was thus used by Williams in opposition to “highbrow.” He said the name then stuck, even though he feels it is inappropriate. Williams refers to the movement as “cartoon-tainted abstract surrealism .” And lately, Williams has begun referring to his own work as “Conceptual Realism.”
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What are some characteristics of Lowbrow?
1989 Interview with Robert Williams
“Basically what the art world is today is a clique of individuals that are trying to sell decorations to bank lobbies”
- Lowbrow was born of underground or “street” culture.
- The single most common tactic that Lowbrow artists employ is to poke fun at convention. They know the “rules” of art, and consciously choose not to abide by them.
- Lowbrow art has a sense of humor. Sometimes the humor is cheery, but can also be impish or sarcastic.
- Lowbrow draws heavily on icons of popular culture, particularly those now commonly known as “Retro.”
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Links to Earlier Movements
(Marcel Duchamp)
Art movements of the early 20th century, specifically the works of the Dadaists and the leading proponents of the American Regionalism movement (artists like Marcel Duchamp and Thomas Hart Benton, respectively) in which such art movements have questioned the distinctions between high and low art, fine art and folk art, and popular culture and high-art culture. In some sense lowbrow art is about exploring and critiquing those distinctions, and it thus shares similarities with the pop art of the 1960′s and early 70′s.
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Lowbrow vs. Highbrow
(Tim Biskup)
Museums, art critics, and mainstream galleries have been uncertain as to the status of lowbrow in relation to the fine art world, and to date it has been largely excluded – although this has not stopped some collectors from buying the works.
Some art critics doubt that lowbrow is a “legitimate” art movement, and there is thus very little scholarly critical writing about it. The standard argument of critics is that critical writing arises naturally from within an art movement first, and then a wider circle of critics draws upon this writing to inform their own criticism. This apparent absence of internal critical writing may be because many lowbrow artists began their careers in fields not normally considered fine art, such as illustration, tattooing and comic books. Many lowbrow artists are self-taught, which further alienates them from the world of museum curators and art schools.
Many in the art world have deeper difficulties with lowbrow’s figurative focus, its cultivation of narrative, and its strong valuing of technical skill. All these aspects of art were deeply disparaged in the art schools and by curators and critics throughout the 1980s and 90s.
(Clayton Brothers)
However, a number of artists who started their careers by showing in lowbrow galleries have gone on to show their work primarily in mainstream fine art galleries. The likes of- Joe Coleman, Mark Ryden, Robert Williams, Ciou, Manuel Ocampo, Georganne Deen, and the Clayton Brothers. (via Wikipedia)
2006 Interview with Robert Williams
“The work had so much energy, it was just devil may care vulgarity, it was wonderful and I just don’t see that anymore. We’ve moved into a time now where young people are very very complacent..very sensitive and caring and whiny and dependent on eachothers feelings and their peer groups judgments and what not, the wild spirit just isn’t there anymore yknow? So I look back at my early work I did and say ‘God how did i ever have the guts to do something like that?’ Jesus, what kind of environment could i have functioned in to make such bitchin artwork? Tits, and ass and open wounds and hot rods and pirates and flying saucers and people tearing other peoples heads off and spitting down their tracheas and just great stuff yknow?”
(Camille Rose Garcia)
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Open Items/Stream of Consciousness/Questioning Source Material
- The lines appear a bit blurry with Lowbrow art, almost as if a work’s classification is subjective depending on the particular artist/author/dealer/curator/exhibition theme. Especially now that Lowbrow is branching out from the West Coast across the world and picking up the characteristics of each local culture it expands into.
- Prior to researching this post, I never realized the impact that the West Coast hotrod culture had on the art world.
- I find it fascinating that Lowbrow seems to have manifested itself from the experiences of Robert Williams. From watching his 2006 interview, he explains how his life full of hot rods, comics, 50’s symbolism, and women — all of which are prevalent symbols within the movement. If an art movement was derived from my life, it would probably entail guacamole, Bravo, and bath robes, but that’s neither here nor there.
- “Some art critics doubt that lowbrow is a “legitimate” art movement, and there is thus very little scholarly critical writing about it.” To be blunt, who cares what art critics think? -hides contact information- And does “scholarly critical writing” refer to critics with tenure around my Nana’s age? Because if we are waiting for Nana to write critically about a movement that includes the likes of R. Crumb’s masturbation comics, we might be waiting for quite some time. There is lots of fresh meat in the form of younger contemporary writers who would be eager to tackle, or are already exploring the subject matter. And to me, they hold just as much clout.
- I had never realized there was such a divide, and at times almost a rivalry, between abstract expressionists and representational artists.
- Why isn’t Takashi Murakami considered Lowbrow?
- I don’t think people are waiting for Lowbrow to be “tagged” as a defined movement with set parameters before putting it up in galleries and selling it for big bucks. In the spirit of Juxtapoz-you don’t need a “name”, just produce good work. I wonder if this will shift views in relation to emerging and established artists? What are emerging artists emerging into? I realize the goal is to make a name for themselves, but in what? The fine art world, or established within their own circles? Lowbrow seems to be an ever-evolving organism that picks up influences as it grows and expands into new geographical regions, mediums, and styles.
- If Lowbrow utilizes “retro” symbolism, isn’t that a moving target in itself? iPads will be retro someday..unless it refers more to a time period(ie 1950-1980) with set iconography as opposed to “retro” as it relates to anything “old”.
- I love the fact that “Black Velvet Elvis” is referred to as a category of art.
I have to say, this is one of those posts that was truly fulfilling for me. I learned a great deal about an area I was unfamiliar with, love all the questions that have arisen from my research and am content with the majority of them being left open-ended.
Hope you got something out of it too. ♥
