Toons Online

By Danielle Dreilinger
Web artists specializing in alternative comics are finding readers and discovering new ways for the arts to profit online.

Gift for a God

A worthy present for Mozart on his 250th birthday: an original, sometimes eclectic, and mostly well-written book about the composer and his operas.

Mozart: The Early Years

This year marks the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth and just about every classical performing group is paying tribute. Enterprising souls are marketing everything from standard keepsakes to off-the-wall Mozart items. Mozart Salami, anyone?

“Udderly” Boston

By Adrienne LaFrance
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BOSTON, Mass.— We’ve seen it before: Hundreds of multi-colored cows descending on cities and towns across the globe. Since 1999, herds have made their way through Chicago, New York, London, Paris, Athens and towns– some of which have plenty of cows already– across Middle America. This summer, a new collection of vibrant bovines has taken on The Hub.

Grazing the Common, looking smart on Newbury Street and green as money in the Financial District, there are over 100 cows parading through Boston. They showcase the talents of a wide range of inspired artists (an open call for artists was conducted last fall), and they’re sponsored by those in the community who wish to contribute to the Jimmy Fund of the Dana-Farber Cancer Research Institute.

While the concept isn’t new, it’s hard to resist the playful puns and special character that make these cows unique to Boston, not to mention the important cause they benefit. Auctions for the life-size cows in other cities have raised millions of dollars (the now-famous Tiffany cow, created by artist Adele Moros for the Chicago Cow Parade in 1999, went for $60,000).

Cows pay hommage to local favorite children’s tales, public transportation and, of course, baseball. Their fiberglass bodies are inspired by Swiss-born artist Pascal Knapp’s original three molds, used in the initial parades in Chicago (1999) and New York (2000).

Commissioned artists received their blank cows in November 2005, and had until April 15, 2006—deadline of all deadlines—to complete their work. Some artists like Rachel Von Roeschlaub of Cambridge, Mass., and Brazilian artist Oneil Junior of Boston tracked their progress throughout the project on web sites.

These humorous and impossible-to-ignore pieces of art will be roaming the city until Sept. 5, 2006. On Thursday, September 21, they’ll be herded to the Copley Marriott to be auctioned off.

Faith and Terror

In his latest novel, John Updike explores the nature of faith through the eyes of a would-be terrorist.

How to Be a Fat, Lazy, Work of Art

By Adrienne LaFrance

BOSTON, Mass.— Feeling too productive? Not procrastinating enough? Austrian artist Erwin Wurm has the answer. Why not stay in your pajamas all day? You could also fantasize about nihilism, be indifferent about everything, or even take a nap on the office toilet.

These are just some of the activities depicted in Wurm’s series of photos titled, appropriately, “Instructions for Idleness” (2001), on display at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University.

The exhibit is called “I Love My Time, I Don’t Like My Time: Recent Work by Erwin Wurm,” and focuses largely on depicting normal– even mundane– people or aspects of life in surprising, unnatural and outlandish ways.

Another and even more absurd series of photos on display is titled “How to be Politically Incorrect” (2002-2003), and depicts such behaviors as that of a man sticking his head down a woman’s sweater at a restaurant. The woman appears unfazed, even bored.

Wurm uses a variety of mediums including photography, film, animation and sculpture, to create original art that engages with a blend of humor, mischief, and philosophy. The finished product proffers a deadpan, offbeat brand of humor that satirizes modern life and contemporary art. Most notably, Wurm lampoons the elitism associated with the art world — one of his goals is to remind us that art is for everyone.

Wurm even encourages performance art from his viewers, who can become “one-minute sculptures” by combining their bodies with found objects — stick a banana in your ear; treat the sleeves of a sweater as if they were pant legs; put a stapler in your mouth, etc.

Wurm challenges viewers to find art all around them; his work asks the eternal questions: What is art? Does simply making a goofy face turn you into art? How about sticking French fries between your toes?

One of the most impressive portions of the exhibit is “Fat House,” an enormous, bulbous house (assembled in 18 pieces) that art-goers can enter (at the risk of fearing you might be absorbed into the marshmallowy exterior) to see a digital version of the house lamenting in identity crisis (“Am I a house? Am I art?”). There is also a fat car, who is equally confused (and passionately expresses its concerns in a video accompanying the sculpture), but seemingly more so about the state of the world than its place in it.

Wurm provides an energized look at the art world through everyday eyes, reminding us that art is all around, and that, in many cases, it merely takes an open mind and sense of humor to find it.

The Rat Who Reads

Set in Boston, Sam Savage’s fascinating satiric novel chronicles the sad life of a literature-loving rodent.