Original artwork by Robert Crumb for issue No. 16 of CoEvolution Quarterly magazine (Winter 1977/1978), created as the feature illustration for an article by Jerry Mander entitled “Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television,” accomplished in black ink with white gouache accents on an off-white 11 x 13.75 sheet of artist paper, which is signed in the lower right, “R. Crumb, ‘77,” who adds along the upper edge, “For Co-Evolution Quarterly No. 16.” The artwork, set below a Blackletter-style title and achieved in Crumb’s trademark crosshatched pen-and-ink style, depicts a slovenly, wide-eyed man seated in an armchair in front of a rolling television set. From the television’s top three mechanical arms extend over to the man, with one hand lifting his neatly severed scalp while the other two work in tandem to inject a mystery fluid into his open skull. The man, portrayed as the average American consumer, holds a can of “Beer Type Drink” and a bag of “El Cheeso Chips,” as the TV screen sends a wavy energy flow into his unblinking eyes. This drawing was printed on page 38 of the issue, a copy of which is included. In very fine condition, with faint toning from prior display.
CoEvolution Quarterly was an influential, countercultural magazine published from 1974 to 1985 as an outgrowth of the Whole Earth Catalog universe. Edited by Stewart Brand, the magazine focused on the idea of ‘coevolution,’the belief that human society, technology, ecology, and culture evolve together and should be consciously shaped rather than passively accepted.
A fierce opponent of modern consumer culture, artist Robert Crumb joined forces with CoEvolution in the late 1970s, where their shared ideas and visual approach made for an ideal partnership of alternative thinking. Though not a regular staff illustrator, Crumb provided artwork that complemented the magazine’s skeptical view of mass media, materialism, and modern habits. His involvement included the front and back covers of the Summer 1977 issue, the front cover of the Winter 1979/80 issue, and several interior feature illustrations commissioned for individual articles. A darkly humorous and masterfully rendered work of original satire by Robert Crumb, whose unsettling depiction of screen obsession feels as topical today as ever.
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