Alien’s Swiss daddy is no artist of the weak

[montezillo]

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/Alien_s_Swiss_daddy_is_no_artist_of_the_weak.html?cid=8243306&rss=true

[Zyklon]

Am I the only person here who thinks, apart from the wonderful Alien, that Geiger's work is pretty much just a load of shallow, rubbish pseudo-gothic tat that primarily appeals to 13 year olds who hate their parents?

[SiL]

God, I hope you are.

I fail to see how one could find the Alien "wonderful" and the rest "shallow, pseudo-gothic tat", when the Alien is drawn straight from a large part of his work. It's not even the best realised version of it - As much as I adore the creature, plenty of other work he's done in the same style blows it away.

[Pandorag]

Some thirty years ago, his work was original and it still is. It's very dark and disturbing. My brother told me his museum is not for every taste. I like it, and probably because it's so twisted.

[Bababooey]

I'm a huge Giger fan and cannot disagree that his work isn't for everyone. I used to own thousands of dollars of his work. Not too much new info in the article but thx for the link

[Hieronymus]

I really like Giger's art.  Sure, some of it tries to be edgy, like the Stillbirth Machine, and I can see how that might be just a little too obvious or too appealing to counterculture angst, but on the whole, I like the decaying, organic look of his landscapes and biomechanoids.

[beckmen]

To be honest, I am not much of an art critic. I walk by a piece in a gallery and think "Oh, that's cool" and move on. Don't really spend more than maybe a minute looking at one thing. I loathe the concept of trying to 'interpret' art, as well.

That being said, I do love me some Giger. I have never seen another artist do anything remotely similar. He is one of a kind, and his stuff evokes such feelings of dread, disgust, etc. A very talented man and I am often struck when I see something he has done.

[Zyklon]

God, I hope you are.

I fail to see how one could find the Alien "wonderful" and the rest "shallow, pseudo-gothic tat", when the Alien is drawn straight from a large part of his work. It's not even the best realised version of it - As much as I adore the creature, plenty of other work he's done in the same style blows it away.

It's a wonderful movie monster. If I'd first seen it in art art gallery, though, I'd think it was the work of some pretentious undergraduate who wears synthetic hairpieces and welding goggles. Even Geiger himself, in interviews, comes across as trying desperately to be wierd/eccentric. I appreciate his contribution to the Alien franchise, but I can't admire him as an artist or an individual.

[SiL]

And yet you're saying this of the guy who absolutely hates people reading psychoanalytic bullshit into his work.

I'm not saying everyone has to like him, but such a grossly dismissive attitude towards him and his work buggers the mind.

[Dutch90]

I understand Zyklon's sentiments, there are plenty of "alternative" artists out there who seem phoney. But I doubt that applies to Giger. I wrote a paper on him for art history last year, he was into weird and unusual stuff at a young age. He was weird and eccentric long before he got famous or even in any way succesful as an artist. It's just who he is. Apparently he is prone to terrifying nightmares which are an important inspiration to his work.

[deezelboy]

And yet you're saying this of the guy who absolutely hates people reading psychoanalytic bullshit into his work.

This is the same guy who titled his first portfolio A Feast for the Psychiatrist?

[wmmvrrvrrmm]

Even Geiger himself, in interviews, comes across as trying desperately to be wierd/eccentric.

I haven't noticed too much of that either really. Maybe the accent confuses you, they all sound like that there unless the ones I've talked to were trying to impersonate Giger.

[SiL]

This is the same guy who titled his first portfolio A Feast for the Psychiatrist?

I didn't say he was very surprised about it, just didn't like it

[deezelboy]

This is the same guy who's friends with Stanislav Grof?  Who got him to write the introduction for the Icon book?

[SiL]

Pretty much.

Doesn't change the fact he doesn't like it when people come up to him and start waxing psychoanalytic.