Stay Away, Joe 1968

Editor: Here we have "Stay Away, Joe", a movie poster by Robert McGinnis from 1968. It's quite the vibrant piece of pop art! The exaggerated features and color palette feel really playful, but there's also something a little chaotic about the composition. How would you interpret the formal aspects of this work? Curator: Looking at the composition, note the distinct separation between the textual elements and the pictorial. The typography isn't integrated into the imagery; rather, it sits as distinct planes of information. Similarly, the visual elements aren't unified. The figures seem collaged together. Editor: Yes, that's exactly what I felt. It's not quite a unified scene. Curator: Precisely. The jarring juxtapositions and flat application of color draw attention to the materiality of the image itself, acrylic paint applied to the movie poster. The artist calls our attention not to the illusion of depth, but the reality of its surface. It emphasizes the flatness and constructed nature, defying any deep, symbolic reading, urging us instead to look at the work as a sign of itself. Do you agree with that? Editor: That’s a very interesting point! I was so focused on the narrative elements that I overlooked the way the flatness contributes to the overall message. I now wonder if the fragmentation mirrors the fragmentation of modern celebrity. Curator: That is a solid observation, although as a Formalist, I feel compelled to look into its own semiotics other than outside factors, in order to dive into it’s own merit. But still very well thought. Editor: It’s been interesting looking at "Stay Away, Joe" through a purely formal lens. Thanks, this changed my understanding!