Eva Antonel
On May 30 of this year, the Art Gallery of
Windsor installed an exhibit showcasing
comic book art by Alex Ross. Was I the only
one surprised by the move? Not being an
aficionado of comic books since my brief
infatuation with Alfred P. Neuman and the
Archies gang in the early 70s, I was taken
aback by the news. First of all, comics? Second
of all, at the Art Gallery?
The word "comics" had never carried an
association with the word "art" as far as I was
concerned. Yes, the person who drew the
pictures in the little squares that told the
story, had done so by putting ink to paper
but...
I decided to do a little digging. It seems
that this recent exhibit is not the first to
feature this type of art. In 2009, Windsor
native David Finch also had some of his
highly acclaimed work showcased at the
AGW. The work was referred to as graphic art.
Along with critical and popular acclaim, in
2009 Finch became the recipient of the Joe
Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Award,
named after the Canadian co-creator of
Superman.
The graphic novel has also gained quite
a bit of attention in the last decade or so. I
remember my daughter reading Persepolis by
Marjane Satrapi, and Maus by Art Speigelman
before becoming enamoured with a Manga
series that's still collecting dust several years
later. Both Persepolis and Maus tackled
difficult subjects and apparently did it with
sensitivity and artistry. Both were nominated
for prestigious book awards and their success
can be credited equally to the genre as well
as the quality of writing.
Only a couple of years ago, I remember
picking up a copy of the graphic novel Essex
County by Jeff Lemire, intrigued mostly by
the title, and devouring the 512 pages in one
very long sitting. Hasn't Book Fest Windsor
also featured graphic artists at their yearly
festival of the book for the last several years?
It may be the "comics" label that has thrown
me off track but it seems that the graphic art
genre has been a part of mainstream art for
some time. So much for preconceived
notions.
Back to the Alex Ross exhibit. It's on until
September 20 and showcases his most recent
work as well as his older sketches and
paintings. Ross, the recipient of numerous
Comic Buyer’s Guide Awards for Favourite
Painter, is considered one of the greatest
comic book artists ever, elevating the comic
book to the level of fine art. It is said that he
has done for the comic book as much as Andy
Warhol did for the soup can. Heroes &
Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross can
be experienced at the Art Gallery of Windsor
till September 20.
How do you support local artists?
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August 2015 - The HUB 9