The Art of Jon Hul (2003) Jon Hul, Fanfare, £11.99, pbk, 96pp, ISBN 0-865-62082-2
Jon Hul is a photorealist artist who names among his influences Frazetta, Picasso, Escher, Dalí, Olivia and Sorayama. Though touring with the funk band Soul Connection has been satisfying, Hul has always been primarily an artist, maintaining the music link through work on band logos, CD covers and the like. 'Discovered' by Robert S Bane, Hul sells a great deal of his work through Bane's gallery, the Tamara Bane Art Gallery in Los Angeles, though he also sells at conventions and trade shows. This book is a lovely collection of erotic images with the traditional feel of glamour, good girl and 'cheesecake' art. It doesn't neglect Hul's black and white work which, for me at least, is superior to his colour work, though this too is very nice. Models include Victoria Zdrok, Sandra Taylor, Betty Page, Devin Devasquez, the ubiquitous Julie Strain, Marilyn Monroe, Suzi Simpson, Anna Nicole Smith (pre-blimp), Pamela Anderson and others. Hul gives a step by step guide to the way he produces a graphite pencil portrait, and an 'in-his-own-words' essay to accompany the biography. My only (minor) quibble with the book is that, due to the binding method used, double page spreads don't work very well. That aside, this is a beautiful book that admirably showcases Hul's talent - I love the black & white work and the colour pencil pieces particularly, but everything here is excellent quality. Recommended. Books can be ordered (and info sought) from afx@fanfare.demon.co.uk or by hassling your local shop.
Tony Chester
[Up: Non-Fiction Index | Top: Concatenation]