Jason Moorer - Post 3 : David Gilmore and Daily Drawing Subject

David Gilmore is a Los Angeles based artist whose work is a satirical commentary on Pop culture. He is an avid fan of reality television and most of his drawings and paintings (which you can view here) are derived from these trashy programs. David creates his drawings by taking various screen caps of his subjects and drawing from them. His medium includes pen, ink, gouache, digital painting and watercolor. Usually the screen caps are not flattering, often grotesque and bizarre. David has become extremely popular for his “Real Housewives” series recaps and drawings. The underlying humor in them is that the subjects on the show view themselves as glamorous and famous; Gilmore then selects the most unflattering image to represent them, creating this humorous commentary. (Below are multiple screen cap ink drawings of the "Real Housewives of OC" cast)

Speaking of Housewives, it relates to my semester subject in many ways. The premise of that series is to present this voyeuristic perspective on “the Joneses.” With Bravo using non-celebrities as its subject, it presents this supposed relatability, like these are just average people who just happen to have money. The problem is that nearly all of the subjects are actually broke in real life but paint this hyper-reality that they are rich. When doing a foreclosure research project last semester, I can across several cast members on this series whose homes are in foreclosure and own tons of money to the IRS. It is bizarre in the attempts that people go to strive for this ideal lifestyle. I think David humbles the subjects with his drawings and also comments on certain aesthetics pertaining to the Nouveau Riche.

This is an example of the type of home these women live in. It screams new money tackiness and yet is very aesthetically pleasing. This woman also has Versace dinnerware, which to me is bizarre, given that you would never wear a Versace dress to go eat ribs but you would eat ribs on Versace dinner plates. Nevertheless, we live in a 21^st century “nouveau” culture, where just about anyone has access to worldly, luxury goods.

My daily drawing subject this week is in relation to our next assignment. Keeping up with the theme of last week, with my drawing of Tony Montana, I decided to capture the Teflon Don himself as a wealthy 17th century aristocrat. I am fascinated by the societal transformation of wealth and class; given that most of the artwork we view in art history are commissioned by affluent patrons and monarchs, it is interesting to live in a culture where reality television stars are somehow in the same social standing (maybe even higher) then lets say a Rockefeller. John Gotti has become a cultural icon of wealth and is probably the most referenced individual in especially urban culture. In many ways, mafia families have become modern day aristocracies.