Pop Painting || Camilla d’Errico

“[This] is a one-of-a-kind book”, says the publisher, clearly not sure what to make if it either. I think you might also be tempted to say “let’s hope”.

The subtitle explains that it’s “inspiration and techniques form the pop surrealism art phenomenon”, and I’ll take their word for it. To me, it seems like a possibly unholy alliance between Manga, computer games and a bad acid trip. It’s the eyes, I think. They’re big (like Manga) but disturbed and disturbing. And as for that white rabbit that looks as though it’s escaped from a failed lab experiment, that’s an image I shall never get out of my head. I may wake up screaming.

It’s unfair to decry something you don’t understand, but I’m not sure I’ll ever find a way into this and I’m not sure I want to, either. It’s certainly not Surrealism as I understand it. Camilla attempts a definition in her introduction, but ends up saying “I create art for myself”, which doesn’t get us any further.

I’ve been so mesmerised by the results that I’ve only just realised that this is instructional and that it’s filled with demonstrations. So, if Pop Surrealism is your thing and a terrified maiden with octopuses* on her head and holding a lamb is your choice of subject, this is a book for you.

Octopi? Octopodes?

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