I ran across this old strip in the archives, and in light of recent events it brought back a memory. I’ve told you this before, but it’s been a while. I gave the original of this strip to a friend in Pass Christian, Mississippi, prior to Katrina. She was something of a painter herself, so I thought she might appreciate it. Apparently she did. She had it framed and hung it in her den. However, her bungalow was flooded to the ceiling during the storm, and the cartoon, along with most of her things, was lost. I had spread several cartoons among friends and neighbors in that town, and all were ruined in the hurricane except one, which was found in fair condition a couple of blocks away from where it originally had been hung. (If you squint closely at the last panel—and I know some of you will—you can see in the broken outline of the bathing woman’s breast the hint of a nipple. Not an easy thing to get away with in the newspaper comics!)
105 responses to “Antidiluvian Art”
Wooohoo! Just watched Ghost try on his new form fitting blue jeans to wear tonight. He looked totally awesome! He has lost so much weight he does not look like his photos from a few years ago. Amazing difference.
He says he has dreamed of this, jeans, since five years ago when he began living right and losing weight.
Oh no! He just moved into the last notch on his tactical heavy leather gun belt that he bought less than two years ago. New belt soon?
Note that I merely pointed out the misspelling. I didn’t attribute purpose to it… but I do believe that it was deliberate, that instead of “before the flood” he did mean “opposed to the flood.” And how did Janis know he’d gone to the nude’s ablutions? With a few brush (pen) strokes he told a great story and replaced needless dialog with proof that he can do more than “simple” cartooning.
So, for those of us who are ignorant of great art, which paintings were those?
Jerry: When they’re running right, Chrysler vans are hard to beat for comfort and sheer drivability (unless you like super-tight, overly responsive steering that wears you out). You don’t want to own one with the attending headaches and shop time. At least they’ve done away with timing belts (chains are so much more reliable!) and have drastically improved the transmissions over the years.
It’s getting to be that time of year: https://scontent-dft4-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/q84/p480x480/21762117_1838680599481334_1321271854864554064_n.jpg?oh=3ad4c3411b7e43c002fab059c0ac8a28&oe=5A4E0589
On the book of faces I just saw an advert for a pumpkin spice spray which is guaranteed to “make anything taste like pumpkin spice.”
I fear for humanity. š
TR, I think we will survive. After all, we made it through the everything must taste/smell like bacon craze. Now, if the air freshener companies would only make one that smells like fresh baked bread! Or charcoal-grilled meat. They would have a profit boom like they’ve never seen.
EOH, a semi-controlled substance, smells like baked bread. Have often thought/said that those in recovery should stay out of bakeries.
Peace,
Just stocked up cat and dog food for next week, got my hair done, bought fresh cut flowers, picked up last prescription, went to bank, post office, on way home exhausted.
Dickens threw up on our sheets so have to change those to take a nap!
FWIW, our Jimmy Johnson artwork survived Harvey and are stacked behind the chair I am sitting in.
So glad Sand! Glad it was upstairs I assume?
Dear Jimmy, I know you are deep in producing the new book but how about an auction? Just on ebay maybe?
I’d like a new strip myself and maybe Ghost would?
Jackie, I removed all artwork from the walls on Saturday evening as the water was rising and moved them upstairs. By Sunday there were 18 inches inside when we rafted out. On our return, the inside high water mark was at five feet.
I wonder what will happen with wiring codes now? Will you have to place at the 5 foot level like they did when we lived on Clear Lake, the high water mark?
Hi Jimmy,
Nobody ever has to tell me to squint at a nude… I grew up ‘watching’ HBO and Cinemax that was scrambled due to non-subscription! Is that last panel a Degas? There was an all-Degas exhibit at the Boston MFA a while back, and it was the best museum trip I ever made. Anyway, it’s too bad about the original. That is some of your very best work.
Ken
I agree Jimmy, this is some of your best. Negative space use amazing.
Think about selling us some original strips again. Seems like it’s that time of year.
https://scontent-dft4-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/21616291_1302849839826498_2561612620354313955_n.jpg?oh=237f5d8051c745f4fdd4ae2be8c5fe5f&oe=5A46F126
Here is some neat antediluvian art I recall from my childhood. Someone put together a collection of paperback books that had stickers you would paste in the appropriate places. My favorites were the dinosaurs, most of the paintings were by this artist, Charles Knight.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/XJPiBErKCtpPe7zRjcOr0Cyc-9K_GUGDf4HAEhopjd_pwAPnMwJRdrOtnd8e8LNNWUkC_lL5NdGtiHrgqKWlz95ZCT0IPtqRDtg3msp1ZQPCmZtj9wk
Here’s a great example of use of the space in the panel, a Spirit opening page: http://68.media.tumblr.com/28856b647e791fa8f258c2cb05c82584/tumblr_inline_o5uz0updgU1qili2y_500.jpg
Look at the newspapers caught in the foreground, the headlines and story provide the beginning of the story itself.
Elephants.
https://explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/african-river-wildlife-camera
Peace,
Mark, that is excellent work. I can sit down and draw something that isn’t moving too much, but to picture something in my head and transfer that to paper (with reverse inking no less) is way beyond my understanding. I can understand why Norman Rockwell used models for his paintings.
Mark: Chs. R. Knight was as good an animal portrayer as they come.* As a kid, I owned one or two of his books, and saw his stuff often at the AMNH. Unfortunately, paleozoologists knew less then than they do now, so restorations like that Triceratops / Tyrannosaurus confrontation are dated. The Triceratops legs should be upright, like an elephant’s, and the T. rex tail should be off the ground and straight back.
*Other 20th c. artists who were as good = Louis Agassiz Fuertes and Francis Lee Jaques [no ‘c’]. Jaques may have been the only one who did habitat group backgrounds, at AMNH and U.MN. Bell Museum. Bell is going to move from old bldg. in Mpls. to new one on St. Paul campus. Hope they can move the habitat groups.
Peace,
Cannot find a site with more than 1 or 2 Jaques pieces. The mallard painting at the bottom of
http://www.askart.com/artist/Francis_Lee_Jaques/19414/Francis_Lee_Jaques.aspx
is a good example of his work. Shown those waves, many naturalists could name the painter.
Peace,
Good work, Jimmy, both here and on the daily š
Jackie, not sure when ‘peak’ is expected. But the main parts of festival happens the week of Oct 21. The 21st when the parade and a LOT of the world is here. Oh- a costume ball (charity fundraiser) has been added, Oct 28. THere will be another festival next year if you miss this one.
Good links, everyone. Thanks!
emb, modern version of Knight’s painting. William Stout, excellent artist, has done good works of Antarctic animals as well. He actually went to Antarctica to do first-hand research on what he was painting.
https://archosaurmusings.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/adisneysue.jpg
He did a series of murals of prehistoric life for a museum. The dinosaur painting above is one. Here’s another: https://kpbs.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2016/02/09/mural4_stout_t800.jpg?90232451fbcadccc64a17de7521d859a8f88077d