American Surreal


By Todd Schorr (Last Gasp)
ISBN: 978-0-86719-709-9

There’s an intriguing coagulation of populist imagery and the childhood iconography happening on the capital “A” art-scene which blends baby-boomer memories of cartoons, comics, television, toys, monster-movies and a million other empty, unforgettable delights into a high gloss, stunningly lavish exploration of modern culture.

These lush and lavish pictorial conglomerations assemble myriad nostalgia-drenched components into stunning investigations of modernity. Whimsical and sly yet searching they take as their starting point the hyper-realistic painterly techniques of early Salvador Dali and the master artists of the Renaissance. The movement is known as “Lowbrow” or Pop Surrealism and the supreme master of this visual sampling is Todd Schorr.

American Surreal collects his latest works (2003-2009) with many beautifully luxurious close-up and detail sections, explores his work philosophy and techniques and even examines his twin affinities: the Old Masters of the art world – particularly the narrative genius of Peter Bruegel and Hieronymus Bosch (imagine what they could have done with editorial independence and an exclusive contract with Vertigo Comics) – and the gestalt synthesis of childhood diversions that shaped his own life.

Wry and absurdist, these astonishingly compelling paintings are presented in a deluxe, wonderfully large format (38.6 x 25.7 x 1.8 cm) in eye-popping colour. This exquisite tome is a fabulous treat for anybody who’s ever regretted growing up, put away their toys a little too soon or recently felt the guilty pangs of pure, unadulterated nostalgia.

© 2009 Todd Schorr. Text © 2009 the respective authors. All rights reserved.