Eduardo Paolozzi, Keep it Simple, Keep it Sexy, Keep it Sad, 1952
Collage on paper.
Posts tagged with 1950s
The Ten Thousand Dollar Book
Now available from Dull Tool Dim Bulb as a print on demand book:
In 1957 Milwaukee, hapless bookstore owner Samuel R. Hochman is arrested and convicted of obscenity attempting to stock his shelves with sleazy digest books produced by criminal elements, hack writers using fake names and the startling illustrations of Eugene Bilbrew and Eric Stanton. With Court transcripts, vintage ads, scarce mail order catalogs and more, the unfortunate story is told here for the first time. INCLUDES a COMPLETE reprint of the ENTIRE BOOK for Which Hochman was convicted, The Sex Factory by H. Tennob. Not seen for over 50 years, the book contains numerous Bilbrew illustrations which have never been reprinted. Of interest to legal scholars, book collectors and anyone who enjoys a true story with spicy pictures!
Scwechater
In 1957, Peter Kubelka was hired to make a short commercial for Scwechater beer. The beer company undoubtedly thought they were commissioning a film that would help them sell their beers; Kubelka had other ideas. He shot his film with a camera that did not even have a viewer, simply pointing it in the general direction of the action. He then took many months to edit his footage, while the company fumed and demanded a finished product. Finally he submitted a film, 90 seconds long, that featured extremely rapid cutting (cutting at the limits of most viewers’ perception) between images washed out almost to the point of abstraction — in black-and-white positive and negative and with red tint — of dimly visible people drinking beer and of the froth of beer seen in a fully abstract pattern.
The Fabulous Finn
In titanic brawls, on historic benders, in roaring pursuit of good-looking dames, it was Machi vs. Hannegan—two lusty giants born to battle, mostly each other.
This time the stakes were a rich mine—and a coy, lush blonde named Lela.
Machi, the fabulous Finn, wanted both. And so did Hannegan, the crafty Irishman.
On a grand scale they connived and they plotted—and when they met, swinging fists and wrenches, the state of Montana shook with the echoes!
a succinct and accurate description of my life.
Atomic Age
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Atomic Age, 1955
Oil on board, 17 x 15”
A mutation of inner space found at the outer reaches of the galaxy.
Another Science Fiction
Another Science Fiction is the title of Megan Prelinger’s upcoming book featuring advertisements from the era of the great Space Race. If her name sounds familiar, it might be through her work on the Prelinger Library.
In a NY Times feature on the book, Prelinger states:
These images suggest that the furthest reach of what humankind hoped to find in space was in fact the very essence of infinity.
The above illustration is by Willi K. Baum. For more science and tech ads of the 50’s and 60’s, peruse this huge flickr set.
Another Science Fiction is currently available for preorder at Amazon.
Newer » « Older