Focus on Ron English - an contemporary artist with a twist. Displays some of his work in the area of POP CULTURE and his POPaganda technique of taking 'popular' images and relaying his message. Downloading the PowerPoint will show full animation and transition of slides.

2. “Ron English is known as "The Godfather of Street Art". One of the most prolific and
recognisable artists living, he is credited with graffiti's transition from a sub-cultural form of
popular expression to the decorative, narrative murals seen today.
Ron's innovations is "culture jamming", the act of modifying or hijacking advertising
billboards.
Ron English coined the term “POPaganda” to describe his signature mash-up of high and
low cultural touchstones, from superhero mythology to totems of art history, populated with
his vast and constantly growing arsenal of original characters. His Abraham Obama, the
fusion of America's 16th and 44th Presidents, an image widely discussed in the media as
directly impacting the 2008 election.
He has provided LP artwork for rockers Slash and The Dandy Warhols, plus designed a vinyl
toy line Dum English with R ‘n’ B singer Chris Brown. In 2012 Ron English appeared as himself
on The Simpsons cartoon, as Bart's graffiti mentor in the episode Exit Through the Kwik-E
Mart.”
Ron English - Lazarides Exhibitions

3. RON ENGLISH
(1959 - )
Biography
An American contemporary art artist.
Ron English (born 1959) is an American contemporary art artist who explores popular brand
imagery and advertising. His artist signature style employs a mash-up of high and low
cultural touchstones, including comic superhero mythology and totems of art
history, artist to create a visual language of evolution. He is also widely considered a seminal
figure in the advancement of contemporary art from traditional wild-style lettering and into
clever statement and masterful contemporary art.
Work and inspiration:
The artist was considered one of the Father’s of Modern Contemporary Art.
Culture jamming is one contemporary art aspect of his work, involving 'liberating'
commercial billboards with his own art messages. Frequent targets of his work include Joe
Camel, McDonald's, and Mickey Mouse. Ron English can be considered the "celebrated
prankster father of dollar-pop", who wrangles carefully created corporate, and are used
against the very corporation they are meant to represent. Contemporary art artist Ron
English is considered one of the fathers of modern street artist and has initiated and
participated in illegal public art campaigns since the early eighties.
Ron English – Biography

4. Ron English is what many people call a subvertiser—through his art he breaks down
iconic images from pop culture and advertisements, changing the message
into something entirely different – usually the opposite of what was originally intended. As a
result, most of his art makes a satirical statement, commonly along the lines of
political, religious, or consumerist—but no matter what the message may be, the art stands
alone as something incredible.
The majority of his work shows up overnight on billboards—illegally—like the now famous
“Camel Kid” ads (a few examples on the next slide) featuring a young Joe Camel
offering cigarettes to kids, or the McDonald’s ads featuring an overweight Ronald
McDonald and some not-quite-subtle comparisons to idol worship.
But it’s with Ron English’s oil paintings that he really brings to life a unique mash-up
between the classic and the modern. Sometimes the message is obvious; sometimes
it’s a little more open to interpretation.
10 Pop Culture Versions Of Famous Paintings

6. The Starry Night is one of the most famous paintings by Vincent van Gogh. It shows a stylized version of
the town of Saint-Remy as seen from the window of the mental hospital where van Gogh was living at
the time, in 1889.
According to Ron English, what he saw out of his window was a sea of advertisements, and with that he
made his own version, entitled McStarry.
Who is Vincent Van Gogh?

7. The Virgin of the Lilies is a painting by William Bouguereau from 1899. It shows a peaceful Virgin Mary
holding the infant Jesus, who even as a child has assumed a pose of authority with his outstretched
arms. The halos around their heads were typical of Catholic art from that time period.
As another statement on pop culture gods, English’s version puts the well-known KISS face paint over
the two subjects, effectively turning Mary into Gene Simmons and Jesus into Paul Stanley.
Who is William Bouguereau?

8. In 1863, a daguerreotype, a form of print made on a copper plate, was created of Abraham Lincoln. This
single image is where most of our modern perception of Abraham Lincoln comes from.
In 2008, Ron English created Abraham Obama, a surprisingly subtle amalgamation of the faces of both
presidents. This has since become one of his most famous political images.
Who is Abraham Lincoln? / Who is Barrack Obama?

9. After the village of Guernica was
bombed in 1937, Pablo Picasso
created this massive oil painting,
entitled Guernica, in an attempt
to capture the suffering of the
villagers. It has since become one
of his most popular pieces and is
often held up as a symbol for
anti-war efforts.
Ron English’s version features
grade-school children in the same
horrific poses as the original,
surrounded by carousel animals
while a young boy in the centre
drops bombs from a toy airplane.
It’s entitled Guernica Go-Round.
He also created the one on the
next slide, which features Mickey
Mouse dropping bombs from the
plane.
Who is Pablo Picasso?

11. The Luncheon On The Grass, or Le dejeuner sur l’herbe in French, was painted by Edouard Manet. The
original itself was shocking at the time for featuring a woman who is not only nude, but nude despite the
two men she’s with, who are fully clothed. Even more unusual is the way the two men seem to be
holding a conversation and ignoring the woman completely.
The Ron English version sort of speaks for itself. It’s the same painting, but the figures are replaced with
Peanuts characters Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Sally. The roles are also reversed—Charlie Brown is the
nude, while Lucy and Sally are clothed.
Who is Edouard Manet?

12. In 1964, Rene Magritte painted the surrealist The Son of Man, which has a man in a suit and a bowler
hat, with an apple in front of his face. The artist described the painting as an example of how everything
that can be seen is actually hiding something else.
In Stereo Magritte, Ron English recreated the man and the apple, but placed them beside another
subject—a skeleton wearing the same clothes as the man, with a spoiled apple core in front of his face,
probably signifying life and death.
Who is Rene Magritte?

13. Edvard Munch’s The Scream is probably the most recognizable painting in the world. There are actually
four versions of The Scream, which were done at the end of the 19th century.
Ron English’s version, Harmonic Scream, is quite a bit different. In keeping with his usual style, the
figures in the painting are most likely members of a band.
Who is Edvard Munch?

14. From 1893 to 1900, Claude Monet created a series of paintings that focused on a bridge over a small
pond on his property. This series contains some of the most famous pieces of the Impressionist period.
The version by Ron English uses noticeably darker colours and features the “Bunny Rabbit”, a creepy
figure that shows up in a lot of other Ron English paintings as well. While the background and foreground
are painted in the style of Monet, the Rabbit is a lot crisper and more modern looking.
Who was Claude Monet?

15. The Last Supper is one of the
most iconic paintings in the
world, depicting Jesus Christ
sitting down for his final meal
with his twelve disciples. It was
painted in the late 1400′s by
Leonardo da Vinci.
According to Ron English, with
different times come different
gods, and so we get his take,
Super Supper. The parallels are
obvious, and it makes an
incredible visual.
There is also another version that
English has painted. Go to the
next slide.
Who is Leonardo Da Vinci?

17. 10 Pop Culture Versions Of Famous Paintings
Ron English
Ron English – Biography
Ron English – The Godfather of Street Art
Welcome to Popaganda – The online home of Ron English