GE Final Drawing
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Jim Shaw
Jim Shaw is an artist who focuses on the real world and things happening all around us. Born during the baby boom in Midland, Michigan he grew up with the rise of technology and economic expansion (Blum & Poe). Shaw does not have a specific one style yet covers a wide variety of media from realistic paintings to comic strips. However, his work is mainly in a realistic or surrealistic form. The focus for most of his work is American culture or world religions. Jim Shaw created a religion which can be seen through most of his works called O-ism (Paik). O-ism was a mix of many beliefs however mainly centered around the Bible with philosophy, science, and ancient culture mixed in. A series of his which is most famous is his Man Machine series. The basis of this series stemmed from the ideology that hair is a symbol of power exaggerating the wigs worn by powerful men of the past. The Man Machine series is made using acrylic on muslin which was once theatrical scenic backdrops from the 1940s and 1950s (Hong Kong Spotlight). These pieces emphasize the power of hair with facial hair that was popular in powerful figures from the 1890s. He then takes electronic appliances and merges them with the man’s face showing the link that is being formed between man and machine. It in my opinion it also symbolizes how we become more and more like machines with the ever-growing technological industry. The fact that slowly but surely machines are replacing man in almost every job field, predicting that one day, man may become obsolete. The acrylic used allows for detail in the machines while still being able to create a face and body that looks realistic. It also allows for a soft line quality and vibrant colors to make the subject of the piece stand out from its background. The soft line quality allows for a clean and seamless blend between man and machine, yet the contrast of colors shows the differences between the metallic appliance and human flesh.
Bibliography
“Hong Kong Spotlight: By Art Basel.” Simon Lee, www.simonleegallery.com/art-fairs/47/.
“Jim Shaw ” Artists ” Blum & Poe.” ” Artists ” Blum & Poe, Blum & Poe, www.blumandpoe.com/artists/jim_shaw.
Paik, Sherry. “Jim Shaw: Artist Profile, Exhibitions & Artworks.” Ocula the Best in Contemporary Art Icon., 2017, ocula.com/artists/jim-shaw/.
Jim Shaw:
