A Coimbatore-based artist’s new book reimagines famous figures of the art world as type designers
An illustration inspired by Francis Bacon
Each year, during February and March, artists across social media platforms observe ‘36 days of type’, a challenge that requires them to express their interpretations of letters and numbers in their own artistic way. In 2020, when the lockdown was first announced and all were bound at home, Coimbatore-based artist Arvind Sundar decided to give this challenge a go, putting his own unique spin on it by drawing inspiration from art history sources. This laid the foundation for his brand new limited-edition book, titled Art History Typography, written in the format of a children’s book that aims to serve as an introduction to the world of art. It features 52 pages of illustrations inspired by the practices of artists like Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali, Francis Bacon and others.
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Arvind Sundar
“What if these famous artists were typographers? That was the question I wanted to find an answer to. For instance, when it came to an artist like Jackson Pollock, I wanted to bring out how he’d design a typeface. In the book, I chose the artists by the alphabets in their last name, like the letter B for Francis Bacon and K, for Frida Kahlo,” shares Sundar. The book is also aimed at restoring the interest and fascination of the arts within children and adults, points out Sundar. “In our country, we don’t have many school subjects that delve into art history. Even adults aren’t very aware of many artists, except for the most famous ones like Dali and Pablo Picasso. Flipping through the book can give both children and adults insight into other important figures that exist in the field and it may even inspire them to read up about their history on the internet,” he concludes.
Log on to floatingcanvas.co/art-history-typography.html
Cost Rs 2,400
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