Tosh Berman's Blog, page 95
April 11, 2021
Saul Steinberg "untitled" (February 21 - April 28, 2019) TOTAH
Dry point table, 1981Mixed media on wood
12 x 24 inches (45 x 60 cm)
When I hear the two words together, Saul and Steinberg, I immediately think of him as the illustrator for New Yorker Magazine. This is true, but one can't measure a person's worth from just one source. Looking at the catalog of a show that took place in 2019 at the TOTAH Gallery in New York City, I become aware that there is a larger landscape that Saul Steinberg worked on. Going through this catalog, which is available at the gallery, and in an edition of 300, it's a great jaunt through an artist's career that is small in size but focused on his greatness.
The humor in his drawing is very tongue in cheek but sophisticated in that Manhattan manner that I love so much. Trotzky in New York, 1982 is an image of Trotsky with an apple pie and coffee at a New York Automat, dated January 28, 1917. That year, he spent 10 weeks in the city, and to see such a Russian iconic Marxist figure in an Automat is funny alone. Still, Steinberg's drawing is very sweet, and there is an absurdity mixed in. I don't know the origin or why this work was done. It could have been for a publication or article on Trotsky in New York, or it can be just a witty commentary on the clash of cultures. Perhaps the automated world of Capitalism within the framework of a Marxist enjoying his pie and cafe.
I'm intrigued with his works on wood, mainly through the medium of ink, collage, paint, and pencil. One, Dry Point Table (Illustration above), he gives equal space to each image. It reminds me of Marcel Duchamp's Box in a Valise, which is his entire works put in a suitcase. In a series of works on wood, which resembles looking at a tabletop, Steinberg is not complete, but there are personal items that are placed neatly. The viewer can connect the pen, the portraits, and an image of a book opened to Steinberg's art.
The World of Tosh Berman: Sunday, April 11, 2021 (A visit to the Barbershop)
The World of Tosh Berman: A Trip to the Barbershop.
April 10, 2021
The World of Tosh Berman: Saturday, April 10, 2021 (Should I Take a Walk?)
New Journal entry for Saturday, April 10, 2021. With visuals as well! Read it here, and do sign or subscribe to the blog please: Saturday, April 10, 2021
April 9, 2021
The World Of Tosh Berman: Friday, April 9, 2021 "Las Vegas Story"
For today's journal I write about Las Vegas through the film "Las Vegas Story." And if you enjoy my writing, do subscribe. Read and subscribe here: Tosh's Journal: Friday, April 9, 2021
"Who Is Lun*na Menoh?" Online Screening for AIFF2021 Festival (VIRTUAL: April 20 & 21, 2021)
Hello friends,“Who is Lun*na Menoh?” will be virtually screened at Ashland Indie Film Festival on April 20 and 21, 2021. Tickets are on sale now. You can watch Jeff Mizushima, Lun*na Menoh and Tosh Berman's Q&A after the screening. Don't miss :
April 8, 2021
[Who is in "Who is Lun*na Menoh" ] vol.5 - Kristine McKenna
Hello friends, “Who is Lun*na Menoh?” will be virtually screened at Ashland Indie Film Festival on April 20 and 21, 2021. Tickets are on sale now. You can watch Jeff Mizushima, Lun*na Menoh and Tosh Berman's Q&A after the screening. Don't miss it! https://watch.eventive.org/.../play/6...
Meanwhile, here is our tribute to Kristine McKenna who is in the film "Who Is Lun*na Menoh?"
The World of Tosh Berman: Thursday April 8, 2021
Weight issues in today's "The World of Tosh Berman" Thursday, April 8, 2021 (and Oscar Wilde) read it here: https://tosh.substack.com/p/thursday-april-8-2021
April 7, 2021
The World of Tosh Berman: Wednesday, April 7, 2021
In today's journal, I write about walking and one's library and record collection. Read it here: https://tosh.substack.com/p/wednesday-april-7-2021
Wallace Berman's Film "Aleph" (Brian Jones)
A still from the Wallace Berman film "Aleph." Brian Jones.
