New & Used BLAB! is in
two halves, new and used.  The new material is not that new however since the
book was published in 2003 and some of it has appeared in the BLAB! publications
from Fantagraphics.  Each half is 96 pages long, and is full of astounding
illustrations.  In his introduction, editor Monte Beauchamp explains that he
was first driven to create BLAB! in 1986 out of desperation with his job in
corporate advertising.  BLAB! consistently contains bizarre and startling
images, some very crude and some very polished.  Many of the artists provide
content that seems like repressed material from the artistic unconscious.  It seems
ironic that Beauchamp comes from the world of advertising because so much of
the artwork in BLAB! seems like outsider art from untutored people with no
connection with commercial work.  I wish that the book contained more
information about the artists since it be very interesting to know whether they
earn their living helping large corporations sell their products or whether
they live on small rations of food in dark basements in the poorest parts of
the city.  Fortunately for most of the artists, it is possible to put their
names into search engines and discover their own web pages, which often contain
some biographical information.

Maybe my favorite work here among
images I hadn’t previously seen is "Pax Americana" by Douglas Fraser,
which consists of 3 pictures in color.  The central one covers two pages, and
features a futuristic painting showing an industrial city with tall factory
chimneys and dark skyscrapers in the background, with fleets of war planes in
the air.  In the center of the picture is some kind of fire-breathing bulldozer
and in the foreground are computer works sitting at their terminals and fast
food clerks carrying trays with burgers, fries and a soft drink, ready to serve
for a new world.  Buried in the spaces of the picture are skulls and farm
animals.  The dark gray colors of the weapons and buildings are contrasted with
the red sky and the flames of the central destructive machine, and the bright
red stripes on the oil drums and the cheerful clothing of the fast food
workers.  It is an apocalyptic vision powerfully crafted.  This is just one
piece in a book full of excellent work, which deserves a wide readership.

Links:

·       
http://www.blabworld.com

·       
http://www.fantragraphics.com

·       
http://www.chroniclebooks.com

·       
http://www.fraserart.com/

·       
Review of
BLAB! 15

·       
Review of
BLAB! 14

·       
Review of
BLAB! 13

·       
Review
of BLAB! 12

© 2005 Christian Perring. All
rights reserved. 

Christian
Perring, Ph.D., is Academic Chair of the Arts & Humanities
Division and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island.
He is also editor of Metapsychology Online Review.  His main
research is on philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: ArtAndPhotography