In the 1980s a group of entrepreneurs in Ghana created small-scale, mobile film-distribution empires, hitting the road with videocassettes, television monitors, portable gas-powered generators and rolled-up, hand-painted, artist-signed canvas posters. This new medium created the first opportunity for some of the best young painters in Ghana to express themselves on a public scale. In the frequent absence of an original image upon which to base the work they had been commissioned to produce, the artists inevitably created ...
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In the 1980s a group of entrepreneurs in Ghana created small-scale, mobile film-distribution empires, hitting the road with videocassettes, television monitors, portable gas-powered generators and rolled-up, hand-painted, artist-signed canvas posters. This new medium created the first opportunity for some of the best young painters in Ghana to express themselves on a public scale. In the frequent absence of an original image upon which to base the work they had been commissioned to produce, the artists inevitably created cinematic paintings that were largely interpretive and imagination-driven. In the book's four major essays, author Ernie Wolfe III recounts the rise and fall of the mobile cinema tradition, while noted African art scholar Roy Sieber follows two-dimensional art in Africa from rock paintings in the Sahara to contemporary manuals, wall paintings, and barber board paintings as well as the canvas movie posters themselves; Paul Hayes Tucker compares the phenomenon to 19th century European utility-based painting; and poet and art critic John Yau contributes the perspective of an American art historian. In addition, Hollywood film notables such as horror auteur Clive Barker, actor LeVar Burton, actress Anjelica Huston, and director Gus Van Sant contribute chapter introductions.
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Seller's Description:
Wolfe, Ernie III. With Contributions by Clive Barker, LeVar Burton, Deirdre Evans-Pritchard, Walter Hill, Anjelica Huston, John Milius, Roy Sieber, Paul Hayes Tucker, Gus Van Sant & John Yau. EXTREME CANVAS: HAND-PAINTED MOVIE POSTERS FROM GHANA-SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. Signed by the Author. Los Angeles: Dilettante Press & Kesho Press, 2000. First Edition. 4to. Illustrated Wrappers. Film Monograph. Fine. 305pp, profusely illustrated in color. This is noted African Art scholar Ernie Wolfe's extraordinary compendium of vivid, vulgar and outrageous examples of indigenous Ghanaian vernacular movie advertisements. These hand-painted, one-of-a-kind canvases typically adorn local video stores. Resembling vintage American carnival sideshow banners, their lurid images may or may not have anything to do with the actual content of the film they are representing. These posters are both amusing, and poignant in their irony of promoting Hollywood's excesses in the dry, dusty West African villages in which they hang. The list of essayists is also remarkable, featuring Clive Barker, LeVar Burton, Deirdre Evans-Pritchard, Walter Hill, Anjelica Huston, John Milius, Roy Sieber, Paul Hayes Tucker, Gus Van Sant, and John Yau each writing on the film genre of their choice. A brand new, most handsome example of the 2000 paperbound first edition additionally BOLDLY SIGNED "Ernie Wolfe III" by the author in black marker on the verso of the front pastedown. PLEASE NOTE: Additional shipping costs are required for this item beyond our standard rates due to its weight-we will inform you of the applicable amount at time of purchase. 0-9664272-2-X Inventory Number: 027323.
