Overview
Pettibon is known for his characteristically enigmatic aesthetic and sharply satirical critiques of American culture. Though drenched in cynicism, his work empathizes with the dizzying madness of our own humanity as it engages both so-called high and low culture. Perhaps most poetic among the many motifs present in Pettibonās oeuvre is the surfer. In 1985, Pettibon began his series of surfers and wavesāāwhich he continues to work on to this dayāāpopular for depicting a lone surfer silently carving āa line of beautyā along an impossibly large wave.Ā
This book spotlightsĀ a selection of more than one hundred surfers from the series, from smaller monochromatic works on paper to colorful large-scale paintings applied directly to the wall. For Pettibonās protagonist in these works, surfing exists apart from all else. Momentarily he achieves sublimity on the wave, distant yet synced with turbulent reality. We are forced to confront our own scale: small and feeble in the face of the power of nature, what is beyond our control. Pettibonās lyrical writings on these painted surfacesāboth his own and lines taken from literatureāreference his own philosophies and the confusions of reality: he critiques and highlights the hypocrisies and vanities of the world he engages. To help navigate, the scholar Brian Lukacher explores art-historical antecedents in Pettibonās work, particularly the seascapes of J. M. W. Turner, and Jamie Brisick, the writer and former professional surfer, examines the Southern California surf and music culture of Pettibonās youth. Professional big wave surfers Emi Erickson and Stephanie Gilmore also describe the sensory experience of conquering the enormous waves depicted in Pettibonās works.
This book title, Point Break: Raymond Pettibon, Surfers and Waves, ISBN: 9781644230350, by Raymond Pettibon, Jamie Brisick, Brian Lukacher, Stephanie Gilmore, Emily Erickson, published by David Zwirner Books (June 21, 2022) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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