Interesting factoid I just learned: Cory Arcangel, whose hacked Nintendo cartridge piece Japanese Driving Game is depicted in the GIF above, is a relative of Pop artist Allan D'Arcangelo. Not sure the exact kinship--a cousin, but no one in the family's exactly sure how many steps removed. D'Arcangelo passed away in the '90s (and since we're talking about a distant cousin, this isn't a story of art world dynasty building, much as that might disappoint the dish-minded); some images via google are below. A frequent theme of D'Arcangelo's was road signs and American auto culture. The affinity between his art and the above piece of Arcangel's--which subtracted the cars from an '80s video game leaving the highway, signage, and surrounding landscape--is amusing. D'Arcangelo isn't as well known Lichtenstein or Warhol, but I've always liked his work. He's one of those "impure Pop" artists, like John Wesley, whose personal style usually peeks out from behind the genre's bland corporate facade.
I found this an interesting post by Tom Moody, who was recently interviewed by Cory Arcangel, for Rhizome. Click-through for more images of Allan D'Arcangelo's work.
PS Check out this photo- and gif-annotated version of the interview, on Myspace, by Robert at the Modern Theory & Contemporary Criticism forum... It's fun to watch things grow on the internet!
PPS It's not too late to pick up some of Cory's work by donating to Rhizome's Community Campaign!
Originally posted on Tom Moody by tom moody
