There are two major Wes Anderson camps — either you’ve never heard of the guy, or you eat his movies up like deliciously twee vegan crepes. Building on his signature style of picturesquely framed scenes, dry humor and hopelessly dysfunctional families, Anderson has cropped up quite the following, especially apparent in the box office numbers of his latest film, “Moonrise Kingdom”.
Anderson’s ever-growing appreciation club swelled, costume-clad, into Spoke Art’s tiny one-room gallery on Sutter Street, San Francisco, this past weekend to admire the various paintings, sculptures and miscellany of its annual “Bad Dads” showcase of Wes Anderson-inspired art. Now into its third year and featuring over 70 works of original art, the show has become something that Anderson fans have to look forward to.
Most of the artworks draw from the usual favorites like “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, but a surprising majority was also inspired by the newest addition to Anderson’s oeuvre. This year, Margot Tenenbaum’s signature melancholic doll mien faces heavy competition from “Moonrise”’s Suzy Bishop, whose similarly haunting mascaraed eyes grace every wall and corner of the gallery. Like both “The Royal Tenenbaums” and “The Life Aquatic,” “Moonrise Kingdom” is one of Anderson’s most stylistically loyal films, and while it is arguably his most style-over-substance film to date, it does provide a wealth of imagery to draw from. With a color palette that bespeaks of vintage khaki scout uniforms, record players crooning Francoise Hardy and little books and maps minutely crafted to exactly fit the Wes-Anderson aesthetic, “Moonrise Kingdom” is a tempting playground for any artist to play around in.
Appreciators of Anderson’s less popular films won’t be disappointed either, as there are pieces dedicated to “Rushmore”, “Bottle Rocket” and even “The Darjeeling Limited” and its accompanying short film, “Hotel Chevalier.” A couple of curious paintings feature Natalie Portman’s character from the short film in her seductive wine glass toting pose inhabiting the same canvas space as Mr. Fox and Rat. The nod to “Darjeeling” is limited, however, to a few small works that pale in comparison to the larger pieces, a staggering number of which are centered on Bill Murray. As Anderson has cast Murray in all seven of his films following the first (“Bottle Rocket”) after rescuing him from career banality in the late 1990s, it is only natural to see such attention being lavished on the actor. Aaron Jasinski’s painting of Murray’s numerous roles within the Anderson canon, “We Are Legion,” basically sums up a major motif of the “Bad Dads” show.
In spite of its cramped interiors, Spoke Art’s walls sport no lack of neat little things that recall particularly great moments and images from Anderson’s films. The Crayon Ponyfish and Jaguar Shark were not forgotten, and even the screenplay is showcased. The brilliant “You’re disloyal” exchange between Ash and his lab partner in “Fantastic Mr. Fox” was made into a colorful print by Philip Tseng, and Bill Murray’s various incarnations were superimposed with his sardonic quotes in Oliver Barrett’s set of four posters. Whether it’s Raleigh St. Clair saying, “Well, I wanna die” or Steve Zissou saying, “Go to bed, you sons of bitches,” the characteristically deadpan wit is not missed.
Packed with mobs of red-beanied people in blue outfits and ladies wearing a lot of dark eye makeup, the costume contest of the show’s opening weekend brought in a massive crowd whose size reflects the popularity of the show, which will be on view until November 24th. No self-proclaimed Wes Anderson fan will want to miss Steve Zissou as a velvet painting.
Contact Lu at [email protected]
Comment Policy
Comments should remain on topic, concerning the article or blog post to which they are connected. Brevity is encouraged. Posting under a pseudonym is discouraged, but permitted. The Daily Cal encourages readers to voice their opinions respectfully in regard to the readers, writers and contributors of The Daily Californian. Comments are not pre-moderated, but may be removed if deemed to be in violation of this policy. Click here to read the full comment policy.
Great review! I went to this show and wanted every piece of art.