Even though graphic artist Tadanori Yokoo's work is a reflection of its time, the bold images and collages feel very exciting and fresh and seem to have inspired legions of artists since. I was recently drawn to some of his hyper color posters at the MoMA and subsequently stumbled across this wild collection on Pink Tentacle of his music and film posters including an explosive rainbow Emerson Lake and Palmer one and three spectacularly wild ones for the movie The Trip. Here are a few of my favorites over at Rotating Corpse.

His name also results in some fantastic video animations called “Kachi Kachi Yama” made in 1965 which is also the name of a Japanese folktale about a conniving rabbit that makes a farmer eat his dead wife (seriously, read the Wikipedia entry). This is one of the most visually compelling things you'll see on youtube, so do enjoy.

See more: Style Icons: Male Artists

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on June 8, 2009

As you'll read in this week's travel entry, one of the joys of the massive flea market at Brimfield is the strange and wonderful things that catch your eye and seem to be there just for you to discover.

Our magical moment came when Jim nudged me and asked, “Do you see that mug with the demon and the naked lady?” We zeroed in on this Jim Henson-gone-dirty artifact and knew it was coming home with us. To our surprise, we also learned from the vendor that it was somewhat of an investment as the artist Jim Rumph is actually quite well known for his wild creations.

At home I found this extensive website dedicated to him, his art, and the many, many people who count themselves as devoted fans. The site was built because:

“There was virtually NOTHING on the internet that had any information about Jim Rumph or his interesting pieces of art. In fact, there is very little printed material about Rumph or his creations. As a new Rumph collector, I wanted to know as much about Rumph as possible and found almost nothing. Everything about Rumph and his work is extremely hard to find and seems to be kept hush-hush. I figured that the best way to get information about Rumph is to get it from those who share an interest in his work – you, the collector.”

Truly, the man is not lying. Rumph is a mysterious figure but one that has inspired almost fevered excitement among collectors. His humorous and far our creations are pretty hard to resist.

See more: Style Icons: Male Artists

2 Comments →
Posted on May 25, 2009

As the unexpected master of the adult contemporary AM gold radio hit, Phil Collins has, in hindsight, felt the wrath that anything that grows too popular is dealt. Some see his easy listening sound as a curse, though (as you'll read in this week's song pick) I think enough time has passed for Collins to be re evaluated by a new generation, a generation familiar with his songs and respectfully nostalgic for their borderline cheesy sentimentality.

I personally grew far more fond of the man after listening to his conversation with Starlee Kine of This American Life. Unlike so many celebrities who can be monstrously warped by fame, he came off as a reasonable and downright lovable guy with a good heart and a little bit of wisdom to share.

See more: Style Icons: Male Musicians

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on May 11, 2009

Greg Crewdson creates gorgeous images of familiar settings rocked by staged, off kilter dramatics. You could call it realistic surrealism. Each image looks like a still from an art film about the secrets lurking just below in the surface of small town, USA. Either on a sound stage at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art or on location in nearby towns, every detail of his shots is elaborately staged. It's a unique way to work as a photographer, working with a crew to create a scene, rather than capturing one. I could look at his images forever with my imagination racing.

Both in this video and this site he talks about his process. While no exhibitions of his work are scheduled in the near future, several of his books are available and you can see much of it online too.

See more: Style Icons: Male Artists

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on April 27, 2009

Christian Louboutin may have gotten all the shout outs from shows like Sex and the City, but Roger Vivier (who passed away in 1998) was shoe design royalty, whether he's a household name today or not. After all, he's the man who invented the stiletto. Next to that, perhaps his largest claim to fame is the signature square buckle and the comma heel that adorn his shoes even today.

His personal line, still under his own name, continues after his death but in the early years of his career he created shoe lines for Dior, Gres, YSL, Ungaro and Blamain. While the line today is more subdued, he was once dubbed “the Faberge of footwear” and images from this 2007 V&A exhibit make it easy to see why.

See more: Style Icons: Male Designers

One Comment →
Posted on April 13, 2009