For my FMP I'm studying the use of text and image, and combinations of the two, in art and literature. Having studied Dadaist collage and artworks in Art History I began looking for more collage-based work with typography in it; step in Notpaper, the wonderful blog featuring international collage artists, their work, and interviews. Here I found Christos Kourtoglou (click for his website) and a heap of other cool artists that will probably crop up on here soon. He lists the artists he admires as Kurt Schwitters (of Dada fame), Gustav Klutsis, Jean Michel Basquiat, musician and graphic designer Andy Dixon, and the amazing Edouardo Recife.
The colours Kourtoglou's work ranges from the bright yellow of Envy, to the stark monochrome of Public/Private, which adds to its graphic quality; however it does not look flat or static. This is partly due to his use of materials - he uses (amongst others) acrylic paint to lay down the backgrounds and create certain elements of his composition giving them a kind of painterly feel, and the complex layering adds depth and tone. Type is handwritten, scratched into paint, printed, collaged and occasionally fully 'digital' looking. For me they're just the right balance between graphic and illustrative art. They tell half-stories, snippets of his imagination. As well as his website, definitely take a look at his flickr page, where there's a load of other great collage and graphicy-illustrationy goodness. I'm planning to somehow purchase some of his prints, as soon as I've magically made money grow on trees... (All images from Kourtoglou's website)
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