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Bono, U2, & ART Movements

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mars tokyo

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Feb 5, 2000, 3:00:00 AM2/5/00
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I've been thinking about Bono's interest in *Art* (with a capital A) and
his obvious interest in the Pop Artists of the 60's--Lichtenstein,
Warhol, Rauschenberg etc.. with the Pop album. But I think there were
references to other art movements in the earlier albums as well--
beginning with the Joshua Tree-- which I think responded to the Western
realists and genre painters like Frederick Remmington and George Caleb
Bingham and in this century Thomas Hart Benton. --Rattle and Hum was an
extension of that interest. With some delta blues thrown in and the
regionalist painters of the south.

Achtung Baby has German expressionist written all over it-- Egon
Scheile's sensuous line drawings of women, to Kandinsky's explosive
geometric harmonies... one could even go as far as sighting the Blue
Rider movement within German Expressionism as being expressed in Who's
Gonna Ride your Wild Horses.--- Zooropa marches right over the Third
Reich and onto the era of PostWar Germany with its industrialism.. which
is actually a natural expansion from German Expressionism into Cubism
(which of course, got expelled by the Third Reich as degenerate art)

Then Pop, as I mentioned, jumped into the Pop art movement.

So what art movement will Bono delve into next?

I'm personally hoping it's the Surrealists-- because Surrealism has long
been misunderstood (it's not about Salvadore Dali)-- and the Dadaists
and Surrealists time has just about come. I'm predicting Neo-Surrealism
for the 21st century.

anyone else have any thoughts on this-- or have I totally lost all of
you.

sorry, if I did.

mars

--
The largest collection of original electronic artwork inspired by the
music of U2 (and completely ignored by them) on the face of the planet!
Now at two locations.

U•2•D•E•V•O•T•I•O•N•S at
http://marstokyo.com/u2devots.html

the visual explorations of a U2 fan
U•2•D•E•V•O•T•I•O•N•S at the Mars Tokyo Visual Diary
http://www.geocities.com/marstokyo/u2devote.html

joey

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Feb 6, 2000, 3:00:00 AM2/6/00
to
My belief is that you will hear less about art, and more about emotion
during the release of this record. Having said that, I think they will
adopt a more "earthy" direction in both the music and it's presentation.
Which would probably mean a surrealist edge to the propaganda side of
marketing, "i.e. sorta like the bees hovering over the flowers". <g> late!
mars tokyo <mars...@erols.com> wrote in message
news:389CA3EC...@erols.com...

sorry, if I did.

mars

U.2.D.E.V.O.T.I.O.N.S at
http://marstokyo.com/u2devots.html

the visual explorations of a U2 fan

U.2.D.E.V.O.T.I.O.N.S at the Mars Tokyo Visual Diary
http://www.geocities.com/marstokyo/u2devote.html

Crispy Eon

unread,
Feb 6, 2000, 3:00:00 AM2/6/00
to
>
>I'm personally hoping it's the Surrealists-- because Surrealism has long
>been misunderstood (it's not about Salvadore Dali)-- and the Dadaists
>and Surrealists time has just about come. I'm predicting Neo-Surrealism
>for the 21st century.

Maybe I'm thinking more of dadaism, but I thought the whole point of it and
most of surrealism was random creation. Seeing that U2 have been polishing
this new record up for the last 2 years makes me think it might not be pure
surrealism or dadaist.

I'm predicting a surge in the spiritual, kind of like quasi-religious art,
but with clanky funk and hi-tech farts and burps all over the place. With Eno
mentioning JOY a lot, I see abstract shapes and loose designs underneath the
lavished 2+ yrs spent working on the product.

Derik.

starfire

unread,
Feb 6, 2000, 3:00:00 AM2/6/00
to
Surrealism- that's exactly what I was thinking, as well. Surrealism would
be a great vehicle for the emotion promised for the new album. And, if your
dreams are any indication, it may be so. They attempted Dada around Achtung
Baby/Zooropa but I think it just came out as "irony", yawn yawn yawn.

I completely agree with the Pop Art/German Expressionism theories though.
No wonder I get so into this music, LOL, they cater to my artistic tastes as
well.


starfire

mars tokyo <mars...@erols.com> wrote in message
news:389CA3EC...@erols.com...
I've been thinking about Bono's interest in *Art* (with a capital A) and
his obvious interest in the Pop Artists of the 60's--Lichtenstein,
Warhol, Rauschenberg etc.. with the Pop album. But I think there were
references to other art movements in the earlier albums as well--
beginning with the Joshua Tree-- which I think responded to the Western
realists and genre painters like Frederick Remmington and George Caleb
Bingham and in this century Thomas Hart Benton. --Rattle and Hum was an
extension of that interest. With some delta blues thrown in and the
regionalist painters of the south.

Achtung Baby has German expressionist written all over it-- Egon
Scheile's sensuous line drawings of women, to Kandinsky's explosive
geometric harmonies... one could even go as far as sighting the Blue
Rider movement within German Expressionism as being expressed in Who's
Gonna Ride your Wild Horses.--- Zooropa marches right over the Third
Reich and onto the era of PostWar Germany with its industrialism.. which
is actually a natural expansion from German Expressionism into Cubism
(which of course, got expelled by the Third Reich as degenerate art)

Then Pop, as I mentioned, jumped into the Pop art movement.

So what art movement will Bono delve into next?

I'm personally hoping it's the Surrealists-- because Surrealism has long


been misunderstood (it's not about Salvadore Dali)-- and the Dadaists
and Surrealists time has just about come. I'm predicting Neo-Surrealism
for the 21st century.

anyone else have any thoughts on this-- or have I totally lost all of

mars tokyo

unread,
Feb 6, 2000, 3:00:00 AM2/6/00
to

Crispy Eon wrote:

> >
> >I'm personally hoping it's the Surrealists-- because Surrealism has long
> >been misunderstood (it's not about Salvadore Dali)-- and the Dadaists
> >and Surrealists time has just about come. I'm predicting Neo-Surrealism
> >for the 21st century.
>

> Maybe I'm thinking more of dadaism, but I thought the whole point of it and
> most of surrealism was random creation. Seeing that U2 have been polishing
> this new record up for the last 2 years makes me think it might not be pure
> surrealism or dadaist.
>
> I'm predicting a surge in the spiritual, kind of like quasi-religious art,
> but with clanky funk and hi-tech farts and burps all over the place. With Eno
> mentioning JOY a lot, I see abstract shapes and loose designs underneath the
> lavished 2+ yrs spent working on the product.
>
> Derik.

hmmmm -- kind of like Míro on a mission of mercy?

mars


--
The largest collection of original electronic artwork inspired by the music of U2
(and completely ignored by them) on the face of the planet! Now at two locations.


U•2•D•E•V•O•T•I•O•N•S at
http://marstokyo.com/u2devots.html

the visual explorations of a U2 fan

U•2•D•E•V•O•T•I•O•N•S at the Mars Tokyo Visual Diary
http://www.geocities.com/marstokyo/u2devote.html

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