Sunday Funnies 1985

Curator: Red Grooms created this piece, "Sunday Funnies," in 1985. It's a vibrant mixed-media work that encapsulates so much of American culture in the late 20th century. What are your immediate thoughts? Editor: My eye goes right to the texture. You can see the layered paint, the deliberate roughness. It isn’t trying to be sleek. It screams process; you see the artist’s hand in every bulging form and jagged line. Curator: Precisely. The subject, a bowling champion absorbed in the Sunday comics amidst a chaotic cityscape, reflects Grooms’ interest in everyday life and mass culture. The comic strips, the vintage car—it’s a veritable archive of cultural references. And don't miss the police! It speaks to the relationship between the city's characters and authority. Editor: The choice of materials speaks volumes, too. The bold paints, probably chosen for their accessibility, tie into this almost populist feel of the piece. Grooms seems interested in how the everyday material world creates art for ordinary consumption. It’s far removed from marble busts and grand historical canvases, isn’t it? Curator: Indeed. And notice how he elevates what could be considered "low art" – comics and street scenes – by presenting it with such dynamic energy and skill. It's Pop Art with a healthy dose of social commentary. There's an implied critique of urban life, a questioning of cultural icons. It acknowledges the importance of popular narratives. Editor: He definitely brings a painterly eye to seemingly mundane materials and situations. It highlights how the process of production impacts how we read narrative in these everyday encounters. What’s more striking is Grooms' celebration of color and texture to highlight the value of such material production to culture and society. Curator: And the fact that it feels very immediate—a snapshot in time—gives the art such strong historical value in assessing culture. Editor: Definitely food for thought; all this layering adds weight to the artwork's many points.