THE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE 28 : Harlequin

the student artist in 1972..

lots of Bauhaus influence from the Art history dept..

our boy has come up with a new idea..

a harlequin dice..

shake but don't stir..

it's a lotta work..

painting 12 of these dudes in gouache..

cutting out the plan of the cube..

ANOTHER UNFINISHED SYMPHONY

he will soon tire of the drudgery..

but not before hitting pay dirt..

Long fascinated by Harlequin, Pablo Picasso returned to the character with renewed intensity in late 1915. 

A chameleon-like trickster.. 

Harlequin must have seemed a fitting subject as the artist began to explore more realistic modes of representation alongside his Cubist experiments..

 

The present work combines the geometric abstraction of Cubism with a classical linearity..

he has made enough dice for a photo shoot..

he is using black and white Ilford 35 mm stock..

he realises too late that colour would have been much better..

but then much more expensive..

monochrome is the student way to go..

Symbolism: 

The Harlequin represented a mix of trickster.. 

and tragic clown.. 

reflecting Picasso's own personal struggles and complex emotions..

it's 1975 and our boy genius..

is about to graduate..

in graphic design..

you may well ask..

anyway.. 

he has distinguished himself..

he paints in oil on canvas in the graphics studio..

he does enjoy working with type though..

he's a typo ace..

but no-one would hire the Artist as a typographer..

he's too much of a seat of the pants creator..

a jester not a swot..

a prince at the dance..

and a dancing fool..

Harlequin.. 

one of the principal stock characters of the Italian commedia dell’arte; often a facile and witty gentleman’s valet and a capricious swain of the serving maid.

In the early years of the commedia (mid-16th century), the Harlequin was a zanni (a wily and covetous comic servant), and he was cowardly, superstitious, and plagued by a continual lack of money and food.. 

By the early 17th century..

 Harlequin had become a faithful valet.. 

patient, credulous, and amorous. 

This last quality often led him into difficulties from which he managed to extricate himself by cleverness and irrepressible high spirits.. 

He was amoral without being vicious.. 

and, unlike his fellow commedia servants..

he did not hold a grudge..

or seek revenge against those..

 who tricked or cheated him.

OUR BOY BEST OF ALL

our boy has created a rolling dice..

a chance of something..

will he make it in the real world..

will they pay the money?

shoot craps..

or throw a seven?

find out more about..

THE HARLEQUIN IN RESIDENCE

Pete the Charlie..

the boy with many names..

the boy friend..

he's a Dice Man..

an artist with too many styles..

there's more sides to this dude..

than you can.. 

shake a stick at..

but is he feeling lucky??

 

INFLATION 1980

 yo!.. look back in wonder..innit!

                         

here in palookaville..

we think the mortgage rate @6% is high..

but when this photo was taken..

the rate was 15.5%..

NOT JUST THE JOB WALTER

sitting here with my boss standing next to me..

I was 28..

It was a good job..

graphics and photography..

we all had a 16% raise in 1979..

and 21% raise in 1980..

then the job was made redundant..

me out first..

then the boss..

then the whole drawing office..

I moved house..

into the centre of the city..

sold the car..

we brewed all our own beer..

switched off the hot water and the heating..

I had to sell all my marvel comics..

for £500  that's £2,743.18 pounds today..

that's $3453.

to pay the mortgage arrears..

SOCIAL SECURITY

there was help with mortgage interest payments back then..

and grants for students as well..

I went back to college..

qualified as a teacher..

mortgage rates went down..

eventually..

but 10.5% was still normal..

our actual mortgage amount was for £14,000..

the new house had cost us £23,000 in 1980..

our previous house we bought for £11,500..

in 1978..

we sold it for £21,000+..

in 1980..

THE VALUE OF PAPER MONEY

people here in palookaville..

talk of getting on the housing ladder..

they think houses only go up in value..

but the truth is..

it's the money that goes down in value..

it's all just inflation really..

MIGHTY MARVEL MELT UP

I wonder what my marvel comics are worth now..

the first 36 spideys..

(all the Steve ditkos)

first 20 x-men..

first 24 Conan the barbarian..

many more..

HOW TO MURDER YOUR BRAND

 yo!.. brand new mess.. innit!

here in palookaville..

we know how to ruin a good thing..

here is a list..

1. change the logo..

2. capsize your boat..

with your brand name on the side..

leave it half submerged for months..

with all the world watching..

3. change the name..

4. change the boss..

uh oh..

loss of attention alert..

IF IN DOUBT

do nothing..

lie down in a darkened room..

take a vacation..

get a real job..

get out more..

take a walk..

talk to the people in the street..

don't mention gender..