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Full-Text Articles in Art and Design
Laughing In The Wrong Places: Daniel Clowes And The Danger Of Nostalgia, Liam Cassidy
Laughing In The Wrong Places: Daniel Clowes And The Danger Of Nostalgia, Liam Cassidy
MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture
This essay explores the relationship between art objects and our past, narrowing in on nostalgia as a malevolent force in American culture that will lead to its eventual downfall. Focusing on Daniel Clowes’ latest graphic novel Monica as a case study, I demonstrate how graphic stories like this seek to reflect rather than interpret, and are often more closely aligned to the creator’s biography than an attempt at broad strokes or political pandering. The essay uses interviews with Clowes at various points of his career, reviews of Monica, academic essays on Clowes, as well as articles and books dissecting …
Home Suite Home: An Analysis Of Comfort In Americana And Motel Culture, Jodi Kolpakov
Home Suite Home: An Analysis Of Comfort In Americana And Motel Culture, Jodi Kolpakov
MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture
This essay provides a critical look at the motel, investigating it as a souvenir, exploring its nostalgic phenomenon, and questioning its complexity of comfort. We begin by looking at the evolution of the motel and how its strange stereo- type came to be. I dissect the terms “shady” and “sketchy” as both a psychological and illustrated representation of the motel while closely reading how these terms appear in other forms of media, such as Bates Motel and Bad Times at the El Royale. Through exploring nostalgic Americana, I investigate how motels connect us from the past to the pres- …