Art Windsor-Essex respectfully acknowledges that we are located on Anishinaabe Territory – the traditional territory of the Three Fires Confederacy of First Nations, comprised of the Ojibway, the Odawa, and the Potawatomi. Today the Anishinaabe of the Three Fires Confederacy are represented by Bkejwanong. We want to state our respect for the ancestral and ongoing authority of Walpole Island First Nation over its Territory.
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- Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross
Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross
May 30, 2015 - September 20, 2015
Barry & Stephanie Zekelman Gallery, 2nd floor, Morris and Beverly Baker Gallery, 2nd floor
Considered one of the greatest artists in the field of comic books, Alex Ross has revitalized classic superheroes into works of fine art with his brilliant use of watercolor. Just as Andy Warhol elevated soup can labels into multi-million dollar artworks, Ross has transformed comic books. By building on the foundation of the great artists who came before him — Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, Neal Adams, George Perez, and others — Ross’ paintings have revolutionized the comic book industry and transcended the newsstand origins of his profession.
At just three years of age, Ross was drawing TV commercials from memory. By the age of 13 he was scripting and drawing original comic books. Ten years later, Ross was hired by Marvel Comics to illustrate Marvel’s central characters in the comic book event, Marvels (1994). His impact on the comic book industry became so powerful that his hugely successful comic book series, Kingdom Come (1996), marks the close of the “Dark Age” of comic books, in which pessimism, violence, and gritty stories ruled, into the birth of the “Modern Age” of optimism and strong superheroes. Ross would go on to win the Comic Buyer’s Guide Award for Favorite Painter so many times the award was retired.
Paintings and sketches from his early career from projects like Marvels and Kingdom Come will be included, as well as works from more recent projects, such as Justice, Flash Gordon, and Green Hornet.
Showcasing the heavy influence of American illustration on Alex Ross, works by Norman Rockwell, Andrew Loomis, and JC Leyendecker will be included. Many artworks created by Lynette Ross (Alex Ross’ mother and an accomplished illustrator in her own right) will be on display as well.
Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross. This exhibition has been organized and circulated by The Andy Warhol Museum, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and was curated by Jesse Kowalski.
Heroes & Villains is presented in Windsor with the generous support of On-Site Services and Kavanaugh, Milloy, Barristers and Solicitors.
The exhibition catalogue, in the style of a comic book, was available at AGW Visitor Services for $2.00.
Reviews:
Comic Books Come of Age At the Art Gallery of WIndsor by Dalsen Chen in the Windsor Star: http://windsorstar.com/arts-2/comic-books-come-of-age-at-the-art-gallery-of-windsor
