Artist of the Week: Marilyn Manson
People like to bandy around the term “rock star artist” but the most rational response to that term is Marilyn Manson. I have only a few of his works in person; they do not pass through Chicago very often or I’m missing them. No gimmicks; musical fame aside, he’s actually very good and has a preference for watercolors, which he uses with nuance. He likes to work with tropes, symbols and icons and sometimes experiments with an intentional child-like drawing style. I sometimes think I see hints of Joan Miro and stronger influences of Francis Bacon. Manson is prolific, too. At this time, there are fifteen pages of selected works in his online web portfolio.
So next time an art professor tries to sell you on the idea of some atelier lapdog of Saatchi as a “rock star” artist, just nod, smile and imagine Marilyn Manson biting out his eyes. It will make the conversation easier. See more work on Marilyn Manson’s website here.
Not really a huge fan, but Manson is definatley a great (and sometimes controversial) artist. He’s def toned back his stage show in recent years tho. Hes also a really cool, intellectual person. Have you seen his interview in Bowling for Columbine? very cool. Look it up on youtube
Oh, I saw that interview a long time ago. If he dialed back the stage show, that makes sense. No one wants to be accused of subordinating their music to spectacle. It’s not my age range, and I truly think KISS is lame. Musicians call their songs “four chord knuckle busters”. This term was also applied to the Ramones, with the exception that their songs are fun.