Bright yellow hats, swirling red capes, skin tight blue body suits, bulging muscles…
Comic book artists gave conservative, Great Depression-burdened America a kick in the art pants in the late 1930’s!
Many a fine artist today owes their extraordinary use of color and dynamic composition to the influence of comic book artists. Check out Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
"Superman 260" (1981)
Andy Warhol (1928-1987)
Color screenprint with diamond dust on
Lenox museum board
Superman! From the planet Krypton? Or from the imaginations of two Jewish teenage boys in Cleveland, Ohio in 1936. World War II was on the horizon and the boys were horrified by reports of the evils of Hitler.
Superman was born! The mild mannered Clark Kent transformed into a captain of truth who defended the weak and battled to save the world from destruction. Superman’s young creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster designed his costume bright blue with a red cape to show the illusion of flying. (Artists, take note!)
After years of rejections by comic book publishers, DC Comics bought the rights to Superman for a modest $130.
America entered World War II. Jerry Siegel was drafted and served in the US Army, came home and found that Superman was the comic hero of America!
In 1970, after years of litigation, Siegel and Shuster were acknowledged by DC Comics as Superman’s creators and were each awarded $20,000 a year in royalties for the rest of their lives as compensation.
Vintage Superman video… It’s REALLY super!
Click this link if unable to view the video.
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"Popeye" (2003)
Jeff Koons (born 1955)
Oil on canvas
It’s 1938. The Great Depression is raging. Americans are desperate.
E.C. Segar, Illinois cartoonist, creates Popeye! Popeye flexes his muscles and eats spinach. There are no obstacles that can not be overcome. He is strong and sympathetic. He is funny.
America’s gloom is lifted.
American children’s spinach consumption increases by 33%.
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"KA-POW! - Dick Tracy" (2011)
Kirby Kendrick (alive and kickin')
Spray paint, markers, stencil, acrylic on canvas
Chicago, 1930. Violence ran amuck. Al Capone, arch gangster was terrorizing Chicago. Something had to be done.
Dick Tracy was created by cartoonist Chester Gould. Dick Tracy fought crime with his wits and advanced gadgetry. Right was right and wrong was wrong.
And America loved the colors of his costume…yellow hat, red and white striped tie, and jet black suit.
Art could be colorful again.
So Kirby,
Now is YOUR time to create an iconic cartoon character to ease our pain during this time of economic and political strife. GO Girl, you can do it!!!
All the best from one of your Market Street fans,
Sandy
Great article!
Now is your time to create a new cartoon icon to help us all get through these trying times!
GO KIRBY!
I’m thinkin’, Sandy! It’s SUPER you are enjoying the blog! Kirby
Great blog for all the Comic-Con fans in San Diego this week.
I was delighted to read your new art blog. I grew up with Superman, Popeye, and Dick Tracy so I was fascinated by the stories of their creators.
Thank you for another superb blog, and the video was…SUPER!
I’m enthused to learn what your next topic will be, and I look forward to learning something I didn’t know.
I agree with Sandy. How about creating a new cartoon icon? I perked up seeing these pieces and I’m reminded of how much I take for granted. I’m so used to Superman and Popeye and hardly stopped and really looked and enjoyed them from the artists perspective. Now that I think about it, I believe I and we all take LOTS of artistic images for granted. Thanks. Lydia
That’s great you see that, Lydia. Comic Con is on this weekend in San Diego and we are besieged with people costumed as comic characters. It is so startling to see these characters in real life! Kirby
As said when you grow up with these images you don’t really relate to how or why they came into being–they were just fun and entertaining! However the investigation and info that you have presented put them in a whole new light…
Being in the design industry what this blog conjured up for me was the “fear” that many people have of color. They seem to enjoy it in small venues or in other places however to use it in their home or environment seems to take–pun intended–“A horse of a different color”! Don’t have any idea what the psychology of that is but more than not I have found it to be true.
Thanks, Stephen, for raising the subject of fear & color. Ponder the fact that the Super Heroes fight evil (what we fear) & they do so while clothed in the brightest of colors. Thought: does color in certain combinations have an effect on our brain to allieviate fear? Kirby