ABOUT THE ARTIST

. CRUMB the man, is an enigma wrapped in ns. 4 mystery, packaged

le, and all of it envelo ped in contra dictio

Binns, Dis on the rough branch of midwestern plainsmanship.

R

ton. & propout padegie

aes So- tated “representational” art and
cerebration- 5 E 5
his tus, the varied approaches he has essayed toward the
een es: cytee in this volume—what we have here isa young
most_certainly still to reach peak creative performance, whose focus
fees ptible both to traditionalists and the seekers. His drawings possess
A unique mystic quality, a sensitive feeling of youthful exuberance and
Wondg nn i ma
=
Grant Wood, both Wyeths, and others with solid. and may we
ete eee
ome

Daurier,pac
Wen
Da Vinct “poe
Burssetied:Goya,Apron 5
Yair, everbana Gem«
pas de
lines
vith
+ from the intense, passionate
of George Grosz,
lines oF ¥ rOsZ,
aati ae reaching further back, to Byzantine Mosaics
and E ian Bas reliefs. gee asKee
ie eee artist. worked iingsuch 4range. ioe oe
tions goes nd just at his universality.
Srtists, oFobjec, was in tts oe a trail blazer. What R. Crumb's lonely
pathway aspires to reach is no simple thing for him or anyone else
+o explain. - .
i the barest possible terms, he has awareness of a meshing of un-
seen. cogs, and the pulsin: of unimaginable forces. These,heisconvinced, are
manifestations of a grand design for the Universe. He does not think that
mankind is a helples5 dust mote in this orderly chaos, unable to alter itsel?
and doorned to be swept out some day. R.Crummb cleaves to the conviction.
Est man has Cor has been given)the power to steer his course. And Art isa
Sweep oar, for bad orgood. ‘To put it another way, he thinks that Art i a
Clue to the solution, and can lead man to the kind of world that lives now
only in dreams—and in that selfsame Art. So in away, R. Crumb thinks
of “himself as drawing toadsigns. . ‘
Alll of this would be pretty heady stuff for the cocky kid from Philly whose
first professjonal achievement was visual aids for the Latex Gerpomstion. But
not for the dedicated anti-sophisticate who ponders Tolstoy and Teilhard de
Chardin between concentrated drawing sessions (out avoids continental phil-
osophers at his European showings Bue persuasively over a checkered
fatleciosth in San Erencisco’s North Beath( but. disintigrates at thought of mak-
ing @ public speech), draws like a wizard(but cant drive a car).
A key te one
of the locked doors between us and R.Crumb(a §004 crypt
erie would come in handy here) is his insistence upon universality in Art
hen he says Artisa route to everybodys bliss, he means all kinds of Art. In
tnfact, these drawings are nevertheless
tensely personal, completely introverted,
representational of Art asa whole. Nobody has yet decided™to compose a novel,
I have
ot libretto an opera that is themed by one of R.Crumbs sketches. but her
no doubt that will come. La Gioconda waited quite awhile for apoth-
eosis. Quo Vadis ?
-~Elton Fiscus-Powell

ARTISTIC COMICS. Copyright © 1973 by R. Crumb. Published by Kitchen Sink Enterprises, a division of Krupp
Comic Works, Inc., P.O. Box 7, Princeton, Wisconsin 54968. Phone (414) 295-3972. Free dealer's catalog upon ~
request. This edition published in cooperation with Terry Zwigoff (Golden Gate Publishing Co.) First printing of this.
edition, April 1976. Printing No. 5 43 21.
 “YOU READ
oyIT-1 CANT“ CO We CT
Tf ne MARK E. RAINEY
DISMAL Ae CO..
H&S BN, IST
WORLD Fss
‘©oF CA 920:

B. C2UMBvir's DEPRESSING /"— Hers casn

‘Morr Be!"
= OREARGLORD TEnlovs” —SAGyee
SRNE
 Het, toy GUYS
Got WHITEY
NATURALS 7
 vA
Sey
™

es

Di
ry
am

I~
avr
-

e/3
ey epee
SS : @ 3
f | \
 CASUAL
Fashions OF 1990

Waik cpmes
uP TO A ISDAT TAL
ws eage o>

S\ rants web
VP BY SnovWwER-aNo~
Nec THoncs
THIS INCREDIBLE NEW
THEORY OF THE WORLD
IN| MaTION.%

AND NON A Look

AT THE WOR! wy
: ~R. CRUMB
197
 We ARH ALL
i) Ser FIDE MUWVAS,
Mess
rey Hows ir
GOIN’, CHUM //
 J

, :N
ix
 HOPE TALS
pear Comes
THROUGH /
PEOPLE REALLY ASSHOLE!
ro
Get TOUCHY When g
M'GIVE 'EM mi |

i eee
MT RINGER PLS —
(EO \ ais):
S
T.2. sew: Gimme 4 Break ’

OW Gop
MeLP ME I'VE
NevaR BEEN
BiAcK.
WATER 22/1

wietlaas

o
overcame ay AL
BLE
STRANGE, UNEXPLAINA
 aga
Levees, RQG
ID)
Sekt
 Re
Ey) }
WN SV phone fF

SERN reo

SAY Th’
SECRE
1 FOUNDN MYSELF 7 ) WoIe AN
STANOI

ME SITUATION WAS GETTING

ESPERATE WHEN1. Sg
GHARAGTER
=.
AND THen HERE ARE TIMES WHEN...
Bometmes ( Set HE
UNSETTLING FEELING “That
SOMETHING'S GONE WRONG
Somewnere ALONG THE weuNCTiON SONCTI
Lives.
ane YOU ARON gucne™ CUPS OR a)
FUNCTION
FROM FUNTRo
QUNeTioN sy

MBE IT'S THE WORLD

SITUATION wv, EVERYTHING5 MAYBE [TIS SOMETKING
FUCKED UP... T22 MANY w my BRAIN /
ere, TP many SYSTEM,
peor,
Too puck CRAP... my MIND (s
MALFUNCTIONING 7
Tree's PROBLY
Ww

How G:
PRAISE THY NAME
TREE NON
& [Seume,
Paro (eartoonisr
 EVA
BOMGARDNER
 Gimme A
povae BURGER,
A WARGE COKE
nwt A ORDER O!
FRIES...
 ?
HE WANTS

©
WAN! tr D>
ave Mme
SIREN GH? 2 SQ 2 (want
~~ X Want 'Tit
%Be WAN
 Nationa?
Business
Factors

| GOWA Get
HOME an WatcH
THE UNTOVOMBLES / BELL SYSTEM

Aas 2

©
VY
OWN

: | P
 i
=8

sail
wy

y) sof ip
a J oy
eS

WH)
RS

ae
 Fmt cavorme show
3 A gew
= Yous "x"yoID 1

ial
0)
STRING
BEANS ?

STATS ONG Sto) wet

STOmK

qe!P
| G5 «
NOW
a
" CONCENTRATE
x £27>
(iy. N\e yy

SON
 DON'T MOVE,
LADY// THIS WON'T
TAKE LONG/?
 UNDERGROUND
COMIX CLASSIX

Artistic Comics Stories:

2- About The Artist
Published April 1976 3 The Dismal World of R. Crumb
(3rd edition)
Kitchen Sink Enterprises
$1.00
68 pages
Printrun of 5,000 copies
7" x 10"

Artists:
Robert Crumb 1-68