Latest posts by Michael Gerber (see all)
- From Faith Current: “The Sacred Ordinary: St. Peter’s Church Hall” - May 1, 2023
- A brief (?) hiatus - April 22, 2023
- Something Happened - March 6, 2023
Master illustrator Stephen Kroninger has contributed this portrait of John Lennon to Bystander #13. I thought you might like to see it. (Yes, it’s illustrating a column of mine. Naturally.)
In addition to being a serious Beatles/Lennon fan, Stephen’s a genius. He’s done a couple of great illustrations of the Fabs, early and late.
Never ceases to amaze me how few elements it takes to create an instantly recognisable likeness. It also captures something ineffable about the man’s personality.
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I found this article fascinating when I discovered it a couple of years ago – the Beatles all painted? Together? Well? They did something in hotel rooms besides hide from fans and smuggle in women and drugs? https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/how-a-painting-by-the-beatles-ended-up-stashed-under-a-bed-for-20-years/262034/
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So much to enjoy here. Paul’s corner emphasises harmony and precision and, with its obviously vulvic shape, is the only contribution that remotely suggests the painting’s subject. John’s corner looks like it was airlifted back in time from Pepperland. (It’s the Penny Lane vs. Strawberry Fields dynamic yet again, ladies and gentlemen.) George’s corner is a Revolution #9-style nightmare. And Ringo’s accomplished pop art suggests that, not content to be the best actor in the band, he was the best painter as well.
I feel SURE we posted about this when the article came out, but I can’t find the post!
I emailed it to you a couple of years ago when I first discovered it, maybe that’s what you’re remembering!
That sounds like me 🙂