Ray Pettibon

Raymond Pettibon…

was born in Tucson, Arizona, in 1957, and currently lives and works in California. He began his career as a high-school math teacher, but quickly left that to pursue his art as a profession. Early on, Pettibon was involved in the punk and rock scene, but has become internationally known for his art, which is primarily drawing, text and artist’s books. His themes have centered around art history, politics and pop culture. Recently he has expanded into wall-size drawings and collages, and his work has been show all over the world.

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Major themes:

Politics, pop culture, authority, humor, subcultures, war, morality

Reflection:

Upon viewing Pettibon’s work, it appears simplistic and humorous, almost comic like in its execution, considering it is mostly black and white line work with minimal shading accompanied by words or lines of text. However, upon closer inspection, you come to realize Pettibon’s concepts and themes are a complex commentary on identity, narrative and a critique of politics, corruption and society as a whole. As the artist says himself, ““even though my work is usually just one drawing, it is more of a narrative than it is a cartoon with a punch line and a resolution and a laugh at the end.”

Pettibon’s use of characters from popular culture such as Gumby and Vavoom, and characatures of real life figures such as past presidents creates a dichotomy between what is considered respectful and ridiculous and tells a narrative about the blurred line between the two. He is an artist that is largely concept driven over realistic rendering, but he still has a practiced style that is purposeful and expressive that lends to the meanings behind his work.

Lesson Plan Inspired by Ray Pettibon:

A possible lesson idea would be to use characters from popular culture that students identify with and have them make some commentary through comic book style and writing about a social justice issue they have been affected by. For example, a student that identifies with a character from Fortnite could use it as an opportunity to make a commentary on gun rights or the effect this controversy has had over schools lately. This would create a powerful commentary on what is entertainment and what should be taken seriously in today’s society.

Questions:

  • How does Raymond Pettibon’s style of combining drawing and text relate his message better than just using one or the other?

  • Does Pettibon’s use of narrative relate one story or can multiple interpretations be made from his work?

  • In what ways does Pettibon use popular culture to convey his identity?

  • How do you think his varied use of scale (small drawings, books vs. large scale wall drawings and collages) effects the power and narrative of his artwork?