Michael Paulus
I think all artists struggle with the idea of presenting kitschy pop concepts. The plus is that if the idea is clever enough, and accessible enough, you can get a shit load of exposure and sell a lot of work almost over night. The down side is that generally, presenting gimmick art is the artistic equivalent of a knock knock joke. We all (most all) strive for sophistication. When one suddenly comes up with a commercially accessible gimmick, the quandary is similar to that of a struggling actor getting offered a starring role in a shitty network sitcom. It’ll give you a career, but it will also destroy your credibility.
But on a rare occasion, you see an artist who who is riding that viral blogosphere tide that actually garners more than a the usual “huh, that’s pretty cool.” or “ha ha, I get it.” I feel like Michael Paulus’ cartoon anatomy series goes beyond the mere Boing Boing pop hipness. Artistic license to play with the human form (or animal) is a basic prerequisite of illustration. But by pulling the meat off of flights of fancy and exposing biology, by forcing mortality on our childhood cartoons, Paulus manages to travel into the realm of thought provoking and emotional reaction that fine artists strive for.
-R.E. Brown
Swellco & Swellco 64312b
Michael isn’t just a one trick pony, there are some other pretty interesting things going on at his site.
Photos courtesy of http://michaelpaulus.com
Tags: betty boop, blogging, michael paulus, pikachu, sitcoms, swellco & swellco
