Big Eyes .....

I find this kind of stuff extremely interesting as well. A big part of success in art and design is hype. Had the Keane's success been 30 years later, they would have been superstars and much more successful and wealthy than they were then. Take Rodrigue (Blue Dogs), Thomas Kinkade, or even Grumpy Cat as cases in point.

Popular culture moves much faster across space and time than it did back then. This falls in line with my theory that most people are basically sheep when it comes to taste and gravitate to what phenomenon is the flavor of the day. I just need to figure out the next flavor and promote it effectively.

I might add that liking something for its nostalgia , kitsch factor, or cult status is different than liking it because it is the next big thing or your neighbor likes it. There is something much more tongue in cheek about it, giving it a cool component that is off kilter from the main stream. I guess it is a fine line but is a distinction that can be made. When retro appeal becomes the next big thing it is probably time to move on.......

 

I always equated these with P. Buckley Moss paintings ! I never understood the appeal,and was astonished at what people paid for them. I lived right behind the p buckley moss gallery in St. Petersburg and used to often marvel at the prices of the pieces in the window. I agree 1000% with Brads theory on popular culture,what else could explain Hollywood regency or the trend for big ghastly 70s lamps ?!?

 

Retro ?
I'm seeing commercials for Chia Pets...& The Clapper.....I'd swear my TV has gone back in time !!!

 

Not to mention Stretch Armstrong and Skeletor pitching 2015 cars.

 

Shaggy pitching insurance


Like ZOIKS!

 

Back in the early 60's I moved in with my Dad for a year in an apartment. In those days they were furnished. I remember there were several Keane paintings on the livingroom wall.....I thought they were so cartoonish. I was 14 at the time.
Funny how the artist used her husband's name to sell her paintings.

PS

I saw the preview last night too and plan on watching it

 

I think you have that a bit backwards.
HE used his name to sell HER paintings.

 

"Funny how the artist used her husband's name to sell her paintings."

Actually, the husband used his name to sell his wife's paintings...and pretended he had painted them.

When I was just a 22 year old kid starting out I lucked out by getting a job with an important art gallery. One day we went to visit a client, a major collector. In his living room were several gilt-framed paintings proudly displayed on easels: a Renoir, a Toulouse-Lautrec, a Picasso and a Walter Keane.

In all seriousness, that day I learned a valuable lesson about taste...namely, that there's no accounting for it!

 

LOL.I just now re-read my post and was backasswards. I will blame it on my pain pills.

 

This movie didn't do well in today's paper. 2 out of 5 stars.

http://www.thestar.com/entertainmen...ig_disappointment_from_tim_burton_review.html

 

If "critics" are giving 2 stars, it often means regular folks do/will like it.

 

I hope your pain goes away soon.....

 

In my e-mail from ebay today .......

​

Margaret Keane

Shop this trend

Although the glory went to her husband, Margaret Keane's paintings of doe-eyed children are still as haunting as they were in the 1960s. On December 25, Tim Burton's "Big Eyes" hits theaters with the true story of this gifted artist.

 

I watched an interesting behind the scenes story on making this movie. Keane acted as his own Lawyer at the trial and pulled some crazy antics in the court room.
Christoph Waltz, the actor playing Keane, told Burton that he had to tone down the trial scene because it was so over the top, crazy weird. Burton replied that it was toned down. They said if they had followed the actual trial transcripts, they didn't think anyone would find it believable.

I'm going to relist those two I have even though they aren't Keane's. I inherited these. Definitely not my taste but I thought these would be cute for a kids room. It will be interesting to see if someone buys them this time around. If not, they go into the yard sale pile and then off to Good Will.

 

Hi,
Talking about the movie with some neighbors, one of them has a doll named Little Miss No Name. She is a Keane production. Hers is tattered since her daughter played a lot with it. It still has those sad large eyes. She was bought in 1965.
greg

 

"Shop This Trend...." Oh my god, Ebay cracks me up. Didn't waste anytime jumping on the Big Eye bandwagon!

I saw the movie last night. I thought Amy Adams was excellent and overall enjoyed the film.

It got me thinking though, if the movie was true-to-life, Walter Keane played an integral role in the success of these paintings. They probably would not have had one second of fame without his charisma and marketing skills. (And also possibly the whole "painted by a man" thing.)

Interesting to think about.

 

In a recent interview, Margaret, who is still painting said she was emotionally abused by her husband , who made her believe that paintings by a woman would not have any success in the art world or with the public.

The public loved the works.....so who knows what could have been?

 

Big Eyes was #15 over the weekend with nearly $3mil on 1300 screens. So people are seeing it, but it looks like it's preaching to the choir.

 

Definitely not defending the husband's actions, hope it didn't sound that way. He was clearly a bit of a jerk. Just seems like there is often a lot of marketing (sometimes verging on obnoxious) behind certain successes of art. Was pondering if the pictures would have taken off, say if it was just Margaret painting them in the park. Guess we'll never know!

 

I didn't take it that way, I was just making a comment, from a recent news report.

"Walter Keane played an integral role in the success of these paintings"

That is true !