Wednesday, February 6, 2008

do you recall Raymond Pettibon?

It is of great importance to know the background of artworks, especially if they are related to a social scene or as politically involved as those of Raymond Pettibon. Now the established artist is well known to the public and his pieces are valued high in the art world. Since his first major solo exhibition in 1995 he drew attention with his deeply personal, idiosyncratic , even painfully revealing drawings and was presented the Bucksbaum Award. But his beginnings were not in the upscale galleries. On the contrary- he roots go deep into the early punk scene and a notorious band.

Black Flag were the definitive Los Angeles hardcore punk band. Through their ceaseless touring, the band cultivated the American underground punk scene - influencing countless numbers of bands. Although their recording career was hampered by a draining lawsuit, which was followed by a seemingly endless stream of independently released records, the band was unquestionably one of the most influential American post-punk bands. And it was Ray's brother, Greg Ginn who founded the band and the record label SST. From the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, Pettibon was closely associated with both of them.


Their lyrics alluded to social criticism and a political viewpoint. They demonstrated affection for bohemia - both in terms of musical experimentation and a fondness for poetry - that reiterated the band's underground roots and prevented it from becoming nothing but a heavy metal group.
And it didn't matter who was in the band - throughout the years, the lineup changed numerous times - because the Black Flag name and four-bar logo became punk institutions.



Who else could be behind this logo but Pettibon. He was known to the punk scene though the work that appeared on flyers and records for Black Flag. He was described by the band members as "quiet, something of a loner and an avid jazz fan. Like his brother Greg, was profoundly hardworking and disciplined, sometimes producing dozens of drawings per day" (from Get In The Van: On The Road With Black Flag; 2.13.61 Publications).





In the 1980s, Pettibon released numerous books through the SST label; most or all of them are now out of print and sometimes command high prices. He soon started producing artwork for other bands on the SST label ( Sonic Youth 'Goo' 1990) and beyond (Foo Fighters 'Have It All' 2003).


Since then, Pettibon has been acclaimed in the international art scene, gaining notoriety after his participation in the controversial 1992 Helter Skelter exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. His works are included in the permanent collections of public galleries throughout the world. But for me... (and I am not trying to brainlessly categorize his art) he will be the artist that gave the punk rock scene that particular iconography we will always remember. I hope this post will shine some light on some ideas because:

Tourists may embrace the exhibition, but they won’t catch that close relationship of art and music that’s born from the underground, the outcasts and the sidelines.

(Pedro Velez)

rock-on!