Yikes!
It's been a while since I last posted. Probably for lack of anything interesting to say. I will try to work on that.
I FINALLY went to the Tim Burton exhibit at the MoMA today. Awesome awesome awesome! I have always enjoyed his movies, but it was something else entirely to see the display of work he has created in a museum setting. Not only were there actual costumes from some of his films, including Edward Scissorhands and Batman, but there were also his sketches that were never transformed into films as well as his earliest work from when he was starting out in Burbank, CA. It was crazy to see how his style morphed into something reflective of his style over the course of his art career to date.
Some of the pieces from earlier on show a clear "art schoolness" in them. Though the subject matter is similar to what he is known for today (flying saucers, multi eyed creatures, dinosaurs...) it also has a feeling of being monitored by an instructor. The black outlines he commonly draws his characters with now, is gone and in it's place are blurred lines and soft shadows that in classically trained art circles are supposed to denote depth and dimensionality.
As the works are dated later, Tim Burton's style begins to change into what many people would recognize today. Body parts are disproportionate, colors are vibrant, and most characters are defined by a thin black ink outline. His work is not two dimensional though. The way he uses color and texture of his pen, he is able to create perspective and layering. At the entrance to the show all of the work is shown under black light and with the use of neon paint on black velvet, he is able to create an erie depth to all of his work.
I was also amazed to see all the characters I remember as they originally started: as quick sketches. On paper, the aliens from Mars Attacks look more kookie than angry. Edward Scissorhands looks like a scared boy in an odd costume. Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, looks neon blue.
There was one character that I didn't see that surprised me. There were sketches of other characters from his movie as well as a life size model of his nemesis' head (the Sandworm). Who was this?
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!
I love Beetlejuice. Probably because I remember watching the cartoon as a kid. His suite and hair were as ridiculous as he was, but for some reason, I loved watching that show. Maybe it was because I secretly wish that is was me he was my friend.
For some reason or another though, I haven't seen the movie...luckily I just realized that I can watch it instantly through Netflix.
Thank you Internet.
