OH MY GOSH you guys!
So, I'm a notorious "stumbler" (stumbleupon.com), and I stumbled upon this:
Now, if Marcel Duchamp had just done this with the original, I totally would have got it. Instead, his cubist style down-right confused me :P
I just really wanted to show this to your guys and maybe see what you thought about it.
Kristie
*Click image to make larger
12 comments:
WOW! That's so funny that you found this :) I will try to keep this post short since my last one was a book!
I feel the same way about the original piece, it was kind of hard to see what exactly the artwork was...if it weren't for the title actually being there I don't know if I could have really detected it. I like Calvin and Hobbes in general. I think it's really so cute that they included that. Thanks for sharing!
This comic strip was awesome and guaranteed if people hadn't seen that painting then they would be totally lost and not get the humor of this strip. That just goes to show that sometimes adaptation aren't fully appreciated if the original piece is unknown. I love the simplicity that modern humor has given to some of these abstract "deep thinking" pieces. It's just fitting that the little kid makes a nude snowman as it shows his innocence and what kid doesn't love snowmen???
He better take a picture though because that is a great example of art that will not last!! Very funny :)
So funny! At first, I was completely lost at what it was supposed to represent, I had forgotten the painting that completely blew my mind! Its funny that a painting I see as being hard to understand is so easily translated into a funny cartoon. To someone who is unaware of how abstract the real painting is this cartoon would have no purpose or meaning, but once you experience the real thing it is easy to find the humor in it. Like Aubrey said, you sort of need the original to get it, at least when it comes to paintings. With movies and plays, you don't really need to read the book to understand what exactly is going on, in fact, the only reason you'd need the book is if you wanted to see the differences and similarities.
I think Aubrey makes a good point; adaptations may go underappreciated if the original work is unknown to the audience. I've seen this strip before, but that was before I'd seen the painting, so I didn't fully get it until now.
This is an interesting adaptation, and I love it because Calvin and Hobbes has always been a very smart comic strip. It just goes to show that adapting works is almost unavoidable. Artists are constantly influenced by other artists' work, which makes the artwork itself feel very in flux as well.
Bill Watterson is awesome. What do people think about those ripped off decals of Calvin that people have on their trucks? I guess it's sort of an adaptation, but it's always bothered me since I know Watterson never wanted "Calvin and Hobbes" to be marketed.
As I was looking at the comic, I was with my friend. I started laughing and she asked "What's so funny?" I sat there trying to think of how to explain it, and I really couldn't. That is, without my answer becoming super complex. This is evidence of what Aubrey (and others) have commented on; that you need to know the original to appreciate the adaptation. Not only is it true for the understanding of translated works, but it's true for understanding humor in general. I love picking up on little jokes in books or on TV because I know the reference that the humor is alluding to, which in turn makes it funny.
Again, as other people have mentioned, I do enjoy the simplicity of this translation. I think that comic strips in general should be a fairly simple art form; there's no need for hidden meaning. Just lay it all out there, since there's only a few frames as it is. Graphic novels are similar to comics in their layout. This is the form where complexities should exist. Leave comics for those who just want to "get it".
I love that we all can now enjoy this comic. This comic and the south park episode teach an important lesson. Sometimes it is not only helpful, but crucial to be familiar with the original to appreciate the adaptation. We just have to continue to expose ourselves to new experiences and books and art and movie because there are so many tiny references in movies and comics and tv show and every other facet of entertainment and art that I'm sure we all miss out on because we don't know the original reference. If an education with a broad range of intellectual pursuits is important for nothing else, at least we can now understand South Park and Calvin and Hobbs.
:D this is too funny. Like Claudia, at first I didn’t remember about the painting, but once I recalled it I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s really great that comic strip drawers? (I’m not sure what you would call them) use modern art in their work. I feel like he may be pointing out the artist’s purpose of making the work may have been to be remembered for it. I mean of course who doesn’t want to be remembered for their work. However, because he envisions something that a lot of us find hard to see, he may be making fun of him just a little bit which I find really funny since their both drawing/painting artists.
I love this! I look at the comic strip several times in the last few days, but I must have been skimming over it because now that I have come to respond I looked at it again and found it to be absolutely hilarious. I have a rather bad habit of ignoring or overlooking or forgetting the titles of pieces of art. This would be an example of why it can be good to remember. I am not sure that I would have found this very funny in passing if I had not been looking for a reference. I like it when allusions don’t end up going over my head. This very simple reproduction takes an interesting and humorous approach to interpreting the painting, omitting the focus on the intricacies of the human form and going for a more literal (though less human) version of the title. It isn’t necessarily obvious that this is an adaptation of the original based on content or the visual aspect of the painting. This comic retells the title. I like it.
Kristie you make an interesting point, that some styles are hard to interpret/understand/appreciate while the simplicity and comedy of others makes them quite easy to appreciate. But like so many others have said, if you didn't know about the original, and in several of our cases been really befuddled by it, you might not really appreciate the simplicity and humor of this comic strip.
Thanks Kristie for being a "stumbler" and thus allowing us to share in this awesome piece of art!
This was very funny and I agree with everyone in terms that they would not understand the humor in this cartoon if they were not familiar with the original. Whether you like an original piece of work or not it is still important to the outcome or understanding of the transformation.
Watching one of my favorite cartoons the simpsons I find that it is difficult for people to find the humor in the cartoon if they are not familiar with the history or literature that is being translated.
I think that in the case of many cartoons that are usually translated it is important to understand the original.
Oh my gosh I laughed so hard when I figured out the reference!!! I totally agree. I didn't get the original art work until someone else pointed out the figure in the, to me, seemingly nonsense shapes. I know I wouldn't have gotten it had we not talked about it in class, but I love that you found it. It makes me think about how many people get it though? I wonder how many people are familiar with this piece? Obviously enough that Calvin & Hobbes is comfortable depicting it.
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