“My futile idea was that action in comics, as in any art, doesn’t end with one person pounding another person in the jaw. There’s also the action of emotion, psychology, character and idea. I yearned to have stories which dealt with more reality and people’s feelings and thoughts . . . a kind of literary form, let’s say even a Chekhovian form, where one could delve into real people and real feelings.” – Kringstein
Even though his proposal to illustrate Bill Gaines’ and Al Feldstein’s story of “Master Race” was cut from 12 to 8 pages, Kringstein’s panels are never cramped. The compositions are well balanced and well paced. Drawing from observation, his disdain of comic shortcuts and easy symbolic solutions such as sweat marks and action lines pushed him to articulate action and emotion by using a painter’s language of expressive figure studies within “high brow art” ideas of composition and form.
The work of Kringstein had a strong influence on more recognizable names such as Art Spiegelman, and Frank Miller.
Dark Knight Returns (1986)
So if you have ever looked at a comic and admired the visual storytelling, you likely have Krigstein to thank.
As Spiegelman put it in the New Yorker, “Krigstein began to vibrate with the inner language of comics, to understand that its essence lay in the ‘breakdowns,’ the box-to-box exposition that breaks moments of time down into spatial units.”
Inspired to draw but want a little guidance? We have a great Comics workshop happening at the League this weekend, open to all ages and skill levels. This is a new genre for the League, and we are hoping to expand it. Gap assistance available. If you are a new (or previous) fan of Krigstein, apply the coupon code KRIGSTEIN to receive 20% off.
Day 24 of our 30 Day January Challenge was Pathways to the Rectangle. Pathways are directional marks and shapes for our eyes to follow across a drawing or painting. They are a powerful compositional tool to keep the viewer’s eyes engaged and moving around a composition. Connecting these pathways to the edge of the rectangle …
Find an old catalogue, magazine, maps, drawings, paintings, wrappers, etc. Stack the materials. You may wish to use some impermanent glue. Working with an x-acto blade, or tearing by hand, remove paper to reveal previous layers. Post your work Post to Instagram with #30SAL so we can find it. To be eligible for prizes, (yes …
The Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn created nearly one hundred self portraits during his 63 years of life. Roughly 40 of these self portraits were oil paintings. The rest were drawings and etchings. This was, and is, a fairly unusual number of self portraits for an artist without a smartphone. He might have made self portraits to practice rendering …
The single most analyzed page in comics history
Detail
“My futile idea was that action in comics, as in any art, doesn’t end with one person pounding another person in the jaw. There’s also the action of emotion, psychology, character and idea. I yearned to have stories which dealt with more reality and people’s feelings and thoughts . . . a kind of literary form, let’s say even a Chekhovian form, where one could delve into real people and real feelings.” – Kringstein
Even though his proposal to illustrate Bill Gaines’ and Al Feldstein’s story of “Master Race” was cut from 12 to 8 pages, Kringstein’s panels are never cramped. The compositions are well balanced and well paced. Drawing from observation, his disdain of comic shortcuts and easy symbolic solutions such as sweat marks and action lines pushed him to articulate action and emotion by using a painter’s language of expressive figure studies within “high brow art” ideas of composition and form.
The work of Kringstein had a strong influence on more recognizable names such as Art Spiegelman, and Frank Miller.
Dark Knight Returns (1986)
So if you have ever looked at a comic and admired the visual storytelling, you likely have Krigstein to thank.
As Spiegelman put it in the New Yorker, “Krigstein began to vibrate with the inner language of comics, to understand that its essence lay in the ‘breakdowns,’ the box-to-box exposition that breaks moments of time down into spatial units.”
Inspired to draw but want a little guidance? We have a great Comics workshop happening at the League this weekend, open to all ages and skill levels. This is a new genre for the League, and we are hoping to expand it. Gap assistance available. If you are a new (or previous) fan of Krigstein, apply the coupon code KRIGSTEIN to receive 20% off.
Article sources:
Related Posts
Guess what’s starting January 1, 2020?
Sharpen your pencils! Our 30 day SAL Challenge starts soon. What will you create in 2020? Want to revisit some of the past SAL Challenges? Click here.
30SAL Faves: Pathways to the Rectangle
Day 24 of our 30 Day January Challenge was Pathways to the Rectangle. Pathways are directional marks and shapes for our eyes to follow across a drawing or painting. They are a powerful compositional tool to keep the viewer’s eyes engaged and moving around a composition. Connecting these pathways to the edge of the rectangle …
Day 8: Reverse Collage #30SAL
Find an old catalogue, magazine, maps, drawings, paintings, wrappers, etc. Stack the materials. You may wish to use some impermanent glue. Working with an x-acto blade, or tearing by hand, remove paper to reveal previous layers. Post your work Post to Instagram with #30SAL so we can find it. To be eligible for prizes, (yes …
Rembrandt’s Self Portrait Drawings
The Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn created nearly one hundred self portraits during his 63 years of life. Roughly 40 of these self portraits were oil paintings. The rest were drawings and etchings. This was, and is, a fairly unusual number of self portraits for an artist without a smartphone. He might have made self portraits to practice rendering …