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Pictures at an X-hibition

Updated: Oct 2

Cover of "Art Afterpieces" book

Originally published within "Under the Covers," from Signature Magazine, 9/4/20


I don’t usually consider magazine design to be a vehicle for personal expression. We all have our influences and personal tastes, and I suppose it’s inevitable that those make themselves known in our work in some way. As a rule, my approach to design is the same as Hamlet’s advice to his actors: “Suit the action to the word, the word to the action.”


But every so often, my professional principles are overwhelmed by the worst impulses of my own juvenile id, and this issue’s cover is a case in point.


Growing up, one of my very favorite books was a slim volume by Walt Disney animator Ward Kimball, called Art Afterpieces. Kimball’s conceit consisted of a hypothetical stroll through the great museums of the world and the commission of various acts of vandalism to their most famous paintings. It’s a book that can easily be judged by its cover (above).


Looking back, I’m startled by what a huge impression this paperback made on my work. On the opening page of this issue’s cover story, for example, you’ll see a crude violation of Grant Wood’s iconic American Gothic. I must have used and abused this painting a half dozen times over the years, substituting in other characters, or moving the characters to other settings, or even just restaging the whole thing with live subjects. It’s such an instantly recognizable composition that it’s completely transcended its otherwise tenuous place in art history, putting it in the rarefied company of the Mona Lisa, The Scream, and a very few others.


As for our Norman Rockwell pastiche on the cover, it came about for the oldest reason in publishing: I got stuck. While discussing options for the cover with Signature’s publisher and editorial director, Carla Kalogeridis, and associate editor Thomas Marcetti, we kicked around the idea of recognizing the virtual nature of this year’s EXCEL Awards. Carla suggested setting up a Zoom meeting layout, with a different style of “X” — representing the EXCEL Award — in each window. (The use of an “X” on the cover of the EXCEL Awards Special Edition has become a bit of a branding thing over the last several years.) I liked her idea, but I soon ran up against a problem that I originally thought I could overcome: The Zoom layout just doesn’t work in a vertical space, especially with the inclusion of a magazine brand and space for a mailing label.


As I stared at my screen in disappointment, it occurred to me that those “X” images — which I’d taken the time to individually render before dropping them into my failed layout — could easily be placed in an alternate setting, one that could quickly connote the artistry behind this year’s EXCEL recipients. I would show them in an art gallery.


But then, the spirit of Ward Kimball perched on my shoulder and whispered his devilish advice: Why not work the “X” into recognized Great Works of Art? I was helpless. Instantly, I had transformed back into a 9-year old boy, gleefully searching the Internet for paintings that I could deface.


I soon discovered that my proposed desecration was easier planned than committed. It was actually difficult to find paintings where the “X” wouldn’t be completely lost in the composition. My old standby, American Gothic, was a no-brainer, but how could I deftly insert an “X” into Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass, or Van Gogh’s Starry Night? And how in the world could I splatter an “X” into a Jackson Pollock painting and make it look intentional?


I had two saviors swoop in to rescue me: Norman Rockwell and Patrick Faricy. The second name might be unfamiliar to you, but it deserves notoriety: Patrick is a fantastically talented illustrator who, as luck would have it, specializes in exactly the kind of loving send-ups of popular artwork that would make Ward Kimball proud. He’s already spoofed Norman Rockwell on multiple occasions, and if anyone could work that “X” into one of Rockwell’s most famous Saturday Evening Post covers, I knew it would be him.


So, Patrick tackled the cover of the magazine in your hands while I set to work on the few lampoons you’ll see later in the issue. I respect Patrick’s skill enormously, but there was no way I’d let him have all the fun.


I promise it’ll be back to business, next issue. But for now, I’d like to thank Signature for indulging me and the 9-year old child inside me who would always rather see the Mona Lisa with a mustache. The boy needed some air.


Cover of 2020 Excel Award issue of Signature Magazine


Opening spread of Excel Award feature


Turn page of Excel Award feature

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