Untitled (Lawn Hair) 1969

This painted metal chair, by Karl Wirsum, features an illustration of a head with wild hair on its back. Looking at the image, I can imagine Wirsum as a kid, sitting on just such a lawn chair on a hot summer's day. Perhaps this is a portrait of himself? Wirsum was one of the Chicago Imagists, a group of artists making figurative work with surrealist and pop influences. The Imagists really valued a kind of raw, untutored vision. This feels very connected to folk art, sign painting, and comic books. There's something almost obsessive about the way Wirsum has designed this chair. The bright color combinations and unusual characters are immediately striking. He reminds me of other artists who create their own visual language, like Magritte. In the end, artists are always having a conversation with each other, across time, inspiring each other. That's what keeps art alive!