ART as Album Art
Welcome back everyone! I made a playlist that coincides with this post so you can listen to it here while you read. (Only on Spotify, sorry Apple Music users!)
Before I begin I feel that it is crucial to I share some insight on how I decide who I'm writing about each week. Ever since I started this blog I have amassed a pretty expansive list of specific album artists or covers that I want to do a deep dive on. Whenever I discover a new album cover or think about an old cover that I like, I do some research to help me learn out more about the artist who made it. This list has become my holy grail, go-to guide and reference point for this blog and in my own practice as a designer. It has also helped me understand that there are different archetypes of album artists with varying purpose and intent.
Throughout the past few weeks I have been listening to The Velvet Underground & Nico album on replay. One of my all time favorite albums with the iconic banana cover created by legendary artist, Andy Warhol. (Cover is shown to the right: fourth row, last column) And that's when it came to me. There is this entire niche of famous fine artists who have intersected themselves into music through album art.
Take Andy Warhol. Unless you live under a rock you have most definitely seen the works of Warhol. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Pop Art Movement. His most celebrated works are his technicolor screen prints of celebrity portraits or soup cans. What you may not know about Warhol is his involvement in the music industry. Not only did he manage the Velvet Underground for their first studio album, he also directed the Cars Hello Again music video and was heavily associated with the Studio 54 scene. Studio 54 was an exclusive nightclub in the late 70’s known for its celebrity infested atmosphere and housing disco at its peak. Andy Warhol’s genius on top of his music industry connects illustrates how he was able to develop so many album covers in his lifetime. Warhol has designed covers for acclaimed musicians such as The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and John Lennon. To the right is a collection of some of his most notable album art.
Warhol isn’t the only one. When I went back through my list I noticed that at least half of the names I had written down were famous artists. Even George condo who I covered in a previous post. In the slides below, I am going to showcase some album art that was made by other prominent artists.
Jean-Michel Basquiat The New Abnormal by the Strokes.
Robert Rauschenberg Speaking in Tongues by the Talking Heads.
Jeff Koons ARTPOP by Lady Gaga.
Takashi Murakami Graduation by Kanye West.
Keith Haring Without You by David Bowie.
Damien Hirst I’m With You by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Robert Mapplethorpe Horses by Patti Smith.
Gerhard Richter Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth.
Salvador Dali Lonesome Echo by Jackie Gleason.
Banksy Think Tank by Blur.
I think there is something to be said about how layered the intersection between art and music is. Here are some open ended questions that don’t necessarily need to be answered, but I’d love to hear what other people think about this. Does how famous an artist is effect the general perception of an album cover? or even of the song? Is an album cover art or design? Is all album art art?
Citations
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/8214697/andy-warhol-music-influence-rupauls-drag-race
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/the-top-12-album-covers-designed-by-famous-artists-12696