Joining the Style Revolution; Skull Art is Hot

by Art Fag City on October 25, 2007 · 9 comments

David Dupuis, When You’re Smiling, The Whole World Smiles With You, 2007
David Dupuis, When You’re Smiling, The Whole World Smiles With You, 2007, color pencil, graphite, and collage on paper, 5.5 x 7.5 inches. Photo copyright Derek Eller Gallery

I’m so sick of skull art. The object bores me, and every male artist in the Western world seems to be fascinated by it these days. Chelsea’s resident skull dealer, Derek Eller current display, Lost on the Frontiers of Heaven in Hell by David Dupuis includes one or two reasonable drawings, (I surprised myself by liking his eye-in-the-sky collage Bodega Bay) and countless forgettable skull works. To be fair, by countless I really mean two, but the dealer has at least four other artists in his stable who have an affinity for the skull, which seems excessive to me.

Angelo Filomeno, Shitting Baroque
Angelo Filomeno, Shitting Baroque, 2007, Photo B.

So does the fact that there are three skulls currently on display at PS1. Probably my least favorite amongst these, an embroidered double skull set by Angelo Filomeno that took the form of butterfly wings , ran with the title Shitting Baroque. In addition to being tired of skulls I’m also burned out on easy and ineloquent expressions of our falling Rome-like empire.

Damien Hirst, For the Love of God
Damien Hirst, For the Love of God, 2007 Image via Iainclaridge.net

Probably the most well known recent example of skull art working with this message comes from Damien Hirst’s For The Love of God, a diamond encrusted head he tells us is about death, even though it speaks to little more than the amount of money it will sell for. Speaking of which, trying to find a review on the actual piece through google results is a unique torture I’ve decided I’m no longer willing to endure. As a result, my superficially researched, haven’t seen the piece, opinion on the work is that it resembles NYC Peach products. “Join the Style Revolution” reads their slogan, the words perfect matching their reputation as the bling provider to the stars. If the parallel means anything, the revolution lasted two short years before the company went out of business.

Update: This just in via Boing Boing. Ugh.

Gerald Ferguson’s Blue Collar Conceptualism: An Interview with Luke Murphy and Phil Grauer February Preview: Everyone’s a VIP Party With Us: The Art Fag City Rob Pruitt Art Awards and Auction*
  • Matt Lucas

    Couldn’t agree more. Let’s make birds off limits too. And anything that looks like Illustration or at least made on illustrator.

  • Matt Lucas

    Couldn’t agree more. Let’s make birds off limits too. And anything that looks like Illustration or at least made on illustrator.

  • Christina Hinton

    Well, I sort of like Angelo Filomeno (I love the fabrics and styles he uses), but I see your point. Skulls are overused. Every mall in my town has a huge excess of skull fashions, and I don’t see the deal. Why do you want to cover yourself in the remains of human corpses? I guess it was cool when the fad first began, but now it’s getting SO old.

  • Christina Hinton

    Well, I sort of like Angelo Filomeno (I love the fabrics and styles he uses), but I see your point. Skulls are overused. Every mall in my town has a huge excess of skull fashions, and I don’t see the deal. Why do you want to cover yourself in the remains of human corpses? I guess it was cool when the fad first began, but now it’s getting SO old.

  • richard jaguar goldwaithy

    Mam!! Angelo Filomeno is so behind the TIMES, me Bloke RICH FITZ has been making massive bonito SKull ART sinse the 80′s in NYC, THE HAMPTONS, IN THE NIGHT CLUBS like DANCETERIA,and Bay street,in NOLA at the BARRISTERS GALLLERY,his shits all over M arilyn MANsons house,and TIM BURTONS and the HOUSE OF bLUES, jIMMY Page,of Led ZEplin 2.he uses REAL skulls provided by the reptillian TEMPLARS.

  • richard jaguar goldwaithy

    Mam!! Angelo Filomeno is so behind the TIMES, me Bloke RICH FITZ has been making massive bonito SKull ART sinse the 80′s in NYC, THE HAMPTONS, IN THE NIGHT CLUBS like DANCETERIA,and Bay street,in NOLA at the BARRISTERS GALLLERY,his shits all over M arilyn MANsons house,and TIM BURTONS and the HOUSE OF bLUES, jIMMY Page,of Led ZEplin 2.he uses REAL skulls provided by the reptillian TEMPLARS.

  • http://www.davethechimp.co.uk chimp

    skulls fucking rule!
    my biggest regret in life is that I will never get to see what my own skull looks like for real (well, it’s not a regret, more a disappointment)
    as an object a skull is pretty fuckin’ interesting. it’s both the same and nothing like a human face at the same time
    the empty eye sockets, the shape of the nose-hole, the way the botom jaw is a seperate part, the teeth, not hidden by gum and lip, the hole through the bottom of the jaw
    the skull is by far the most interesting bone in the body of the most complex, creative, and dangerous creature on this planet

    skulls have always been used in art, often to symbolise death, and are often seen in old paintings, there to remind all of death, as a message to live your life now, as death is ever-present

    saying using skulls in art/design is a fad shows a complete lack of art history knowledge

    if you’re bored of skulls in art, then you’re bored of all art
    what you mean is you’re bored of skulls in modern art that you’ve seen

    [editors note: unsubstantiated attacks edited out of this comment.]

  • http://www.davethechimp.co.uk chimp

    skulls fucking rule!
    my biggest regret in life is that I will never get to see what my own skull looks like for real (well, it’s not a regret, more a disappointment)
    as an object a skull is pretty fuckin’ interesting. it’s both the same and nothing like a human face at the same time
    the empty eye sockets, the shape of the nose-hole, the way the botom jaw is a seperate part, the teeth, not hidden by gum and lip, the hole through the bottom of the jaw
    the skull is by far the most interesting bone in the body of the most complex, creative, and dangerous creature on this planet

    skulls have always been used in art, often to symbolise death, and are often seen in old paintings, there to remind all of death, as a message to live your life now, as death is ever-present

    saying using skulls in art/design is a fad shows a complete lack of art history knowledge

    if you’re bored of skulls in art, then you’re bored of all art
    what you mean is you’re bored of skulls in modern art that you’ve seen

    [editors note: unsubstantiated attacks edited out of this comment.]

  • http://www.davethechimp.co.uk chimp

    skulls fucking rule!
    my biggest regret in life is that I will never get to see what my own skull looks like for real (well, it’s not a regret, more a disappointment)
    as an object a skull is pretty fuckin’ interesting. it’s both the same and nothing like a human face at the same time
    the empty eye sockets, the shape of the nose-hole, the way the botom jaw is a seperate part, the teeth, not hidden by gum and lip, the hole through the bottom of the jaw
    the skull is by far the most interesting bone in the body of the most complex, creative, and dangerous creature on this planet

    skulls have always been used in art, often to symbolise death, and are often seen in old paintings, there to remind all of death, as a message to live your life now, as death is ever-present

    saying using skulls in art/design is a fad shows a complete lack of art history knowledge

    if you’re bored of skulls in art, then you’re bored of all art
    what you mean is you’re bored of skulls in modern art that you’ve seen

    [editors note: unsubstantiated attacks edited out of this comment.]

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