"Boy art." That's how someone once described to me the kind of art Robert Williams pioneered - macho, psychedelic, "lowbrow" works prevalent in "underground comic books, science fiction and horror films, trashy or populist movie posters, trading cards, tattoo iconography, girlie magazines, surfer art, hot rod illustration, and outlaw culture in general," (Barret S. Bingham from the show's notes/intro). Though the description was used with disdain, Williams proudly paints in his garish, perverse, non-conformist style, producing scenes featuring space aliens, robots, zombies, and scantily-clad babes in distress. He calls the style Conceptual Realism. Williams' underground, sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll style and sensibilities proved to be a perfect match for Guns N' Roses, who used his 1979 painting Appetite For Destruction as the cover art and title for their 1987 album.
In the late 60s, the Californian artist helped form Zap Comix along with R. Crumb and several other non-mainstream, unconventional artists. In 1979, Williams published The Lowbrow Art of Robert Williams, a book of his art that introduced the art world (and pop culture) to the concept of "lowbrow." In 1994, WIlliams founded the great art magazine JUXTAPOZ, which showcases the work of many emerging artists. JUXTAPOZ has the highest circulation of any art magazine (according to David Dalton who wrote a piece on Robert Williams and Conceptual Realism for the show's notes)!
Based in the San Fernando Valley, Williams still creates unapologetic, sensory-overload works and is collected by the likes of Ed Ruscha, Debbie Harry, Yoko Ono, and Leonardo Di Caprio. As Dalton sums it up, Williams and his admirers, "know sublime trash when they see it." Check out some of his recent paintings and sculptures at Robert Williams: Conceptual Realism, In the Service of the Hypothetical at Tony Shafrazi. See the artist's website at Robtwilliamsstudio.com. Through January 23rd.
Brute Waste (This, An Irresistible Impulse To Leave No Sanctum Unspoiled), 2009
Diamond in a Goat's Ass (A Lyrically Poetic Euphemism for Pretension), 2009
Homey Puppy-Biter Chills in the Hood, 2007
Confluence Between Corsairs, 2006
Instant Sanctity, 2007
Mythical Benevolence Via Ice Cream, 2007
Skulldy Dumpty, 2007
The Persuasion of Right Angles, 2007
Williams' underground, sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll style and sensibilities proved to be a perfect match for Guns N' Roses, who used his 1979 painting Appetite For Destruction as the cover art and title for their 1987 album.
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