American Surreal: The Art of Todd Schorr [Hardcover]

Todd Schorr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2009

The latest collection of paintings by one of contemporary surrealism's most influential artists. American Surreal picks up where Dreamland, Schorr's previous bestselling collection of mind-bending paintings left off. Look forward to countless hours of eye bulging investigative thought while examining the impeccably rendered subject matter that has become the hallmark of Schorr's outrageous vision. Schorr, one of the seminal figures in what has come to be known as the Lowbrow or Pop Surrealism art movement, has continually and systematically set the bar ever higher in his quest to bring classic old master painting technique to his pop culture infused subject matter. This latest collection continues that journey culminating with the epic masterpiece Ape Worship included in this volume. Schorr's paintings are the subject of two upcoming museum retrospectives, and are highly prized and coveted by collectors the world over. American Surreal is sure to satisfy those with an overly-developed visual appetite.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Todd Schorr's formative years were spent surrounded by the atomic and space ages; by Saturday morning cartoons and racks of comic books; by Revell models, Mad Magazine, Testors glue, Mickey Mouse, and Rat Fink. The compulsion to replicate these images led to a formal art education and exposure to a new set of influences drawn from the world of advertising and commercial art.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 100 pages
• Publisher: Last Gasp of San Francisco (July 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867197099
• ISBN-13: 978-0867197099
• Product Dimensions: 15.5 x 10.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #445,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enter the World of Strange, June 27, 2010

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Surreal: The Art of Todd Schorr (Hardcover)

Todd Schorr could easily carve out a career as a creator of Classical paintings: doubtless his renderings of royal courts and the derrings-do of the wealthy of the 17th and 18th and 19th centuries would be difficult to escape recognition as one of the master painters of the past. However, Todd Schorr does not choose to go that direction but instead takes his rather spectacular talent as a painter into the world of Pop Culture. He out Dalis Salvador Dali and other surrealists though he paints as well as they. His obsession is the world as we are shaping it today - a world of fantasy, escape from reality, and the need for ever changing comic book heroes and idols all come together in his talented hands to form paintings that are as ingenious as they are picaresque, as challenging to the intellect as they are entertaining to the eye.

Many of Schorr's paintings have been made available to the hungry public in the form of giclée prints. For a rather nominal (everything is relative!) sum collectors can now place such ingenious and outrageous images as 'The world we live in', 'Variations in Kitsch', 'Wish fulfillment from another world', 'Ape Allegory' -and understanding Todd Schorr's intensely creative and bizarre mind takes living with his imagery for a while. And then we may never really understand it fully. Schorr has become one of the icons of Pop Surrealism. This particular book, generous in size and conceptual development and design, is a fine starting point for those who have yet to be seduced by his work. Grady Harp, June 10

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully conceived, and executed oversized book, November 12, 2009

By 

Max del Mar (Evanston, IL.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Surreal: The Art of Todd Schorr (Hardcover)

A must have for any Todd Schorr fan. Beautiful reproductions, on heavy paper with gold edging. Cloth bound, trimmed with thin leather - gold embossed lettering and inset art. Top quality product. It enjoys a special place on my bookshelf. Love it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Surreal is amazing!, January 27, 2010

By 

Peter Chavez "Artist" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Surreal: The Art of Todd Schorr (Hardcover)

This book is great eye candy. Todd Schorr's works has incredible depth that keeps me staring for hours. His attention to detail is unsurpassed and his newer, large scale work is nothing short of mind-blowing. Also the book itself is packaged really beautifully. If you enjoy the pop surrealist genre of modern art than I would definately recommend this book.