I just pictured Japanese teens dressing like Prince in Purple Rain ... I know that's not what you meant, but its what came to mind and made me laugh

If you're familiar with Japanese Princess fashion, they are the dude versions.

I was thinking more new romantics.

Have any of you seen an actual KAWS painting up close and in person? (yes I know some have of course) He is an extremely talented artist. I looked at his paintings like 3 inches away from my eye... I couldn't believe it was done with a human hand and without masking tape, printing, ect... So I believe it is a combination of both the store not fiscally doing well and moving on to bigger and better things. Maybe he felt the store was diluting his work. Maybe he is trying to rise above the street level. ( I know I sure as hell would want nothing to do with "street cred" or skull brain if I were a successful artist.) I think the toys are great but that is not ALL he does. His paintings are mind blowing. I have seen the paintings of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Bottecelli, Dali, Warhol (and many more) all in person and KAWS' work belongs with those names. Something about his work just has a magic to it when you see it in person so I think the whole slapping an X on the eyes of other peoples characters idea just doesn't cut it. However, I do agree that most of the toy designs lately are not that impressive, I would like to see more variations of his own companion character and not woodstock,ect...

Holy shit. Thank you. That was seriously the best paragraph I've read in awhile.

I'm so glad that someone had the courage to stand up and finally say that Kaws and DaVinci belong in the same talent category.

I agree his technique is fantastic, although I've never seen his work in person. I would however definitely not include him with that group of artist because he can lay down paint exceptionally well. If so, you can give this same award to all the early animators at Disney or any anime house. Those artist you mentioned are great thinkers, game changers, who changed the world. Out of all of KAWS work how many characters are 100% his original idea. I mean most artist are inspired by, or draw from creations that already exist. But besides moding a cartoonized skull what has he done ? Now I love KAWS because as a child I was raised on Disney so his artwork was nostolgic and well translated, and his toys are for the most part perfection. But over time I lost interest in collecting his stuff because its just others art filtered though his skull machine, sometimes well sometimes not well. And the stuff that I do like is usually because I liked the original character to begin with, not because he elivated it. And even more I like his colab toys more because its the other artist that is taking a filterd idea and filtering it again which gets interesting results.

I would really like to see KAWS come up with a totally original character. After all these years I'm sure he can come up with a character that would fit into the cartoon world he is so familiar with. Even a mash up of known characters would be interesting. I would like to see him create his own universe. Than explore that.

But no matter what, I can't ever see him in the same light as say Dali.

I wasn't meaning to compare him to those other artists. (It should go without saying that comparing KAWS to Da Vinci is like comparing apples to, I dunno, avocado) I meant it more as he is one of the great artists of all time like those guys. When I saw the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, there was something about the paintings that just flew off the canvas, a "magic" (I know that's a poor description but I'm not going to ramble on trying to properly describe the emotion right now)... All the popularity and hype fell away and I just got it. The same emotion came to me when I saw KAWS' work. It's like "AHHH! Okaaay, NOW I see what the big deal is." That's all.... But yes VERY GOOD point about having is own new character.

Just wondering if you also get emotional watching the Simpsons, Smurfs, or SpongeBob SquarePants since many of his most famous pieces are just very faithful reproductions of those cartoons.

I've seen work in progress shots and its one big color by numbers board. He's king of coloring within the lines but he's no DaVinci. That goes for technique or consideration.

And don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan but I don't put him that far up there.

How about Pushead then, would you put him up there with DaVinci? Rather than an interesting conversation, everything on skullbrain seems to be more like a competition of opinions which is stupid and pointless. There is nothing to learn from this. Lame.

Sorry to drag this discussion out further but it appears that YOU are the one fuelling the 'competition of opinion' against virtually everyone else posting in this thread . . . bringing Pus into the equation just appears as trolling.

Kaws may be moving onto bigger and better things (Macy's Parade balloons and subway train wraps . . . meh!), but if you think the decision to close OF is for anything other than financial reasons in a declining global economy you are deluded!

Best stay down, this is one you won't win!

Art is subjective!

/end of argument (unless you want to get into an argument about the subjectivity of art )

Art is for rich people, they were done with KAWS, so he had to quit. (troll end)

I have always been a huge fan of Pushead. I joined this board in search of the skull pirate. But fuck-a-rola, he doesn't begin to reach the level of talent and especially technique of the great renaissance masters. In terms of composition Pus isn't even in the same galaxy as these guys. In my book he doesn't even come close to the great impressionists.

On the other hand i do agree that seeing works in person is a very different experience and can lead to a much greater appreciation of the artist in question. This happened to me when i went to see a Gauguin exhibit. I went from " nice colors" to complete awe. No photo reproduction can properly render the colours and feeling of the originals.

haha Kim Kardashian? really? thats like mentioning Jimmy Hendrix along with American Idol rejects in the same sentence!
Thats pretty sad for people to start thinking she has any talent worth mentioning. Along with Kaws.

This thread has run the rails, jumped the shark and is spiraling out of control into a big black hole... as usual.

OF is closing due to financial reasons. Common sense reigns. End of story

I have spoken. Mods, lock this thread down now

All art is a scam.
Kaws.
Hype.
The great masters.
Camera obscura.
Etc.

OriginalFake is closing bekaws Selim Varol threatened to send an army of ninjas in retaliation for all that coffin business.

Stay down? You prove my point about skullbrain being lame. What only the upper echelon board members opinions mean anything? Whatever. Don't care. Have a nice day.

+1

I'd prefer to restart the argument about how toys are art.

This. And I really like (some of) KAWS work too - absolutely hate myself for not purchasing multiple paintings back in 2000.

And if laying down paint cleanly impresses you (it does me - I really enjoy clean, super-flat work) then check Al Held. KAWS can't hold a candle to that guy, let alone the old masters.

I've seen several Kaws originals, and they are very nice. But he, like Murakami is an Adobe illustrator artist (and I love Murakami I loved his retrospective at the Brooklyn museum) they compose their work in illustrator and project it to trace. I'm not sure how many studio artists Kaws has below him, probably no where near as many as Murakami.