A Fine Example of Art

by John Lurie

A modern-day shaman, Lurie leads us on a vision quest through the annals of our collective history, and on to a broader world. Alternatively exposing or addressing the larger, enduring myths of our culture through sketches of seemingly lost childhood reveries, this first compilation of ex-downtown indie art, film, and music god John Lurie’s paintings presents his would-be musings in a new, interpretive storytelling—haunting, poignant, or puerile as the outcome may ultimately be. The paintings are passages from the semiotics of his own mind: the enduring stories and images are seized upon then captured to communicate Lurie’s cryptic symbolism. The visions are of a perverse adult playground, peopled not by men and women in conventional adult roles or scenarios—at the office, home, or on vacation—but rather animals in new contexts, a reversal of the personification found in stuffed animals and bedtime stories. The titles or incorporated language and text are too simple for revelation, even too brief for a Lurie brand of dreamscape Americana, and function as a complicating punch. He broaches necessary questions in perhaps the only way we can access them—by the alarming surprise of his simplicity, and the non sequiturs in association with his symbolism.

Genres: Art

108 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jimmy Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Lurie tends to make me laugh in a way that I am somewhat unfamiliar with. It's definitely the sort of hearty, over-the-top laughter that makes my stomach hurt. Wait a minute, I am familiar with that sort of laughter. Oh laughter!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to go thru this book twice. First time was to be judgmental, the usual you-call-this-art?
Next I read some of the reviews at the end of the book and was a bit amazed by the praise and feelings that these pictures invoked in this group of people who also looked at this book.
Ok, so I go back and look again. Did I now have a complete change of my point of view of this artwork? No. And yes, to a degree. I tried to turn off my knee jerk reaction at first sight and really look at the picture. Some remained crap to me. But in others I saw something that made me think, made me question and made me appreciate what I was seeing, I spent more time on certain pages while still speeding past others. But on those that a paused at I too, saw why others had been so taken by Mr. Lurie’s work. The colours, the composition, the thoughts and feelings I had while really, truly studying the page. My favorite print was Bones on the Outside
This book is worth a look, a slow, really look, don’t judge (too harshly) look. It’s worth the time.

[Stop]

Read the STOP SMILING Interview with artist John Lurie:

Q&A: John Lurie

By Alan Ortiz

(This interview originally appeared in the third annual STOP SMILING 20 Interviews Issue)

John Lurie has wandered into various artistic endeavors over the decades, refining his craft with each step. He grew up thinking about becoming a writer, but ended up in New York playing jazz in the Lounge Lizards, a band he formed in 1978 and played music with for over 20 years. During this productive period, his artistic reach becomes exhausting: He began to act in various leading and supporting film roles, eventually falling into writing, producing and directing, all while composing original music for over 20 films. In 1999 he released a solo album under the pseudonym Marvin Pontiac. But he is arguably best known for his acting roles in the Jim Jarmusch films Down by Law and Stranger Than Paradise, and for the cult classic TV show he wrote, directed and starred in, Fishing With John. With his successes in both the underground and the mainstream, he has effectively cemented himself as a cultural icon from the New York art scene of the early Eighties.

Recently, however, John has become tragically ill. After countless visits to countless doctors who were unable to properly diagnose his neurological disorder, he has come to believe he might have Lyme disease. His condition leaves him unable to listen to or compose music, and he is rarely able to leave his home. To satisfy his existence, he began to seriously work on painting. His art has been shown in major galleries around the world, including the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, which hosted his solo exhibition, John Lurie: Works on Paper.

I spoke with John soon after the release of his latest art book, A Fine Example Of Art (powerHouse). Although ill, his charm and humor kept him fresh and talkative.

Read the interview...

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic! Giggles galore.
I love his work.

[patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading this brought back fond memories of a rainy summer afternoon spent at the Watari-um in 2019 at Lurie’s exhibition, taking it all in - the paintings, the videos, the music, and the AC.

[Jessica Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My hero. After witnessing Monty Python and John Lurie, you can never look at bunnies the same again.