However, the strength of the women that he depicts, and their overpowering influence on him is, if not respectful, then at least acknowledges the validity of their worth. Yes, he talks about his hostilities toward women,and there is plenty of graphically sexual violence in it. You have to approach his art with compassion and understanding, because if you bring your own expectations and sensibilities to it, and they clash dramatically with his work, you will misunderstand it. Of this, the desperation and anger and violence lurking underneath a pacifying, idiotic, and obnoxious mass media, which is deprived of the depth and meaning of unique village society and self-made music, art and culture. It is about the demanding, demonic, rapacious nature of women. It is about the animalistic, violent, competitive nature of teenage boys and men in suits. It is about sexual obsession, particularly as it relates to comic books, cartoons,and other forms of immature fantasy, and he is astoundingly aware of the perverse sexuality contained in comic books and cartoons. His work has always been straight from his broken heart,and it is about his perception of how hateful and cruel American culture is, underneath all the false, forced happiness of advertising and societal convention. It is interesting that half of the world understands satire, and half entirely misses the point. The offensiveness of his work is an essential part of its relevance. All the societal niceties have been stripped away, and there is nothing but the depiction of a crazed, horny loser leering out at an atropied, entropied, self-destructing culture so full of excess that its citizens are simply too distracted to notice that they are on board the Titanic. And I don't know what else to call his work, except honesty in its raw form. He is a whiny, self-centered, narcissistic creep, sure, but that hardly disqualifies him from correctness. I think these things make him someone who is, if not sympathetic, than at least worthy of the "artistic genius" treatment. A crucial piece of this is that he is, as Roger Ebert observes "clinging to his sanity by his fingernails," and that he is able to pick up on the sexual violence seething underneath American culture, and that he sees more of what is going on when you to walk down the street than almost any other artist, writer, or intellectual that I have ever been acquainted with. I cannot really explain this with that much depth or clarity, other than the things he writes are my truth, and it appalls me to see his work condemned by people, such as Trina Robbins, who clearly have not spent enough time thinking about the context, intention, or cathartic and self-healing nature of his work. Crucially, he provided me with the first real opportunity that I had to relate to another human being, when I watched the documentary Crumb in my mid-teens. I think I should try to explain why I am such a rabid fan of R.Crumb. Cartoons? Photos? Music? All in one book? This is a valuable collectible that will be welcomed by all. The book features over 300 never seen before illustrations from his sketchbooks, 80 personal photos, interviews, and a special CD of 20 songs of R.Crumb's original music. Crumb Handbook is the newest and best compilation of Natural, Fritz the Cat, Devil Girl, and Keep On Truckin'?Īt over 400 pages, The R. And what visit to Crumbland would be complete without cameo appearances by Mr. Written with his close friend and fellow cartoonist Peter Poplaski, the new book allows ample room for the "father of underground comics" to express his ideas and opinions on a variety of subjects: fame and celebrity, art and commercialism, sex and drugs, age and death. Crumb Handbook tells it like it is!ĭescribed by art critic Robert Hughes as "the Brueghel of the 20th century," Robert Crumb has become the only sixties counter culture artist to break through into the fine art world and today attracts celebrity collectors such as Steve Martin and author Alex Garland. With over 80 personal photographs, and 300 images taken from his sketchbooks many of which have never been seen before, comic books, as well as fine art from museums, The R. Simultaneously, he weaves in the surreal narrative of his personal evolution from his tormented childhood in the 1940s through his coming of age in the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s. Crumb is thoughtful and enlightening, with insights into 20th century popular culture that are hilarious, challenging, and acidly satirical.Ĭrumb casts an unblinking eye onto the underbelly of modern life, an urban nightmare of human weakness, lust, terror, and cruelty all seen through the comic lens of satire. Wry, self-deprecating, and candid, this is an exceptionally revealing and unexpectedly moving visual biography. Crumb Handbook is a brand new take on the life, trials and ideas of one of the most influential cartoonists of the last 40 years.
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