Pulp Art Tribute show opening July 21st, 2012
Open Call
Artists will reinterpret and pay homage to
Pulp Art.
Some examples of Pulp Art
Pulp magazines (often referred to as "the pulps"), also
collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction
magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. Pulps were
printed on cheap paper with ragged, untrimmed edges.
The name pulp comes from the cheap
wood pulp paper on which the
magazines were printed. Although many respected writers wrote for
pulps, the magazines are best remembered for their lurid and
exploitative stories and
sensational cover art. Modern superhero
comic books are sometimes
considered descendants of "hero pulps"; pulp magazines often
featured illustrated novel-length stories of heroic characters, such
as
The Shadow,
Doc Savage, and
The Phantom Detective.
Pulp covers were printed in color on higher-quality (slick)
paper. They were famous for their half-dressed damsels in distress,
usually awaiting a rescuing hero. Cover art played a major part in
the marketing of pulp magazines. The early pulp magazines could
boast covers by some distinguished American artists; The Popular
Magazine had covers by
N.C. Wyeth, and
Edgar Franklin Wittmack. Among the most famous pulp
artists were
Walter Baumhofer,
Earle K. Bergey,
Margaret Brundage,
Edd Cartier,
Virgil Finlay,
Earl Mayan,
Frank R. Paul,
Norman Saunders,
Nick Eggenhofer,
Rudolph Belarski and
Sidney Riesenberg. Covers were important enough to sales that
sometimes they would be designed first; authors would then be shown
the cover art and asked to write a story to match.
Characteristics of Pulp Art
Pulp
illustrations traditionally had an action/adventure theme and are
often set in the 1930s and 40s. Submissions can be a modern
day interpretation or pay homage to the vintage classics. The
background usually tells a story. Most often, Pulp art places
the character in action or indicates he or she is on an adventure.
The artists who created the cover images eventually got it down
to a simple formula: one or two figures, usually a hero and a damsel
in distress in bright colors. The cover paintings were the entire
advertising campaign and sales pitch. There was tremendous
competition and only several seconds to catch the reader’s eye.
Reference links for inspiration:
http://www.thepulp.net/
http://home.comcast.net/~pulpgallery/welcome.html
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Requirements:
Create a piece that is evocative of Pulp Artwork
but not a carbon copy or literal rendition of any one piece. It must
convey the essence of this distinctive work. Pulp
compositions were thematically based on energy and color. Images
must be more than just a repaint of a reference image. Size
and media are unlimited. Multiple submissions are
allowed.
Artists will retain all copyrights to their submitted works.
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Submissions & Deadlines:
Final entry deadline: May 15th,
2012
All final entries
to be emailed in high res 300dpi format.
Submissions to be sent to:
submissions@galleryprovocateur.org
After selections are made, artists will be notified. Artists
will be responsible for meeting gallery deadlines for
artwork arrival, additional biography information for
website and inbound/outbound shipping of work to gallery & a
$25 entry fee per piece for the exhibition which will help cover all
costs incurred by the gallery including insurance for the
work during the 3 month exhibition run.
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About the gallery:
Gallery Provocateur is a not for profit gallery
dedicated to promoting the arts and giving back to the art
community with a low commission rate and nominal fees. The
gallery is located in the historical landmark building, the
Congress Theatre. The avant-garde gallery presents provoking
art in an innovative ambience. The intimate setting and
tantalizing art, stimulates all the senses.
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About the exhibition:
The art exhibition
will open July 21st, 2012 and will be part of the Milwaukee Avenue
Arts Festival
Exhibition will run for 3 months. Gallery commission is 25%.
Exhibition includes, 3 month run of exhibition at gallery,
3,000 postcard mailer (postcards available for artists too),
an opening weekend reception (featuring advance press review, black-tie barstaff, wine, refreshments and Hors
DeOuvres'), press kits submitted to newspapers-magazines-television, live
web broadcast of the reception (for overseas and long
distance
clients), and an online link to exhibiting artists
permanently listed on the
Gallery website (which receives on average of 20,000 visits
a week), and last but not least...a closing
reception/promotional event.
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