The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book
(Kitchen Sink Press Book for Back
Bay Books) by R. Crumb
Confessional Comix
Robert Crumb, world-famous illustrator and definite pervert, got his start
in the underground comics scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The
R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book is a collection of his best work from the
last 50 years (its got kids stuff, too, which is pretty fascinating). The
volume is a welcome reminder that, screwed up as Crumb may be, hes
also a tremendously talented, utterly original artist. He artistically
embodies a certain segment of the 60s, and as that fades even further
into history, Crumbs material becomes more important. Is The R. Crumb
Coffee Table Art Book funny? Yes, certainly, in a coarse, Rabelaisian
way; youll either find it a hoot, or horribly racist and sexist. And its not for
the kiddies, obviously. But R. Crumb is so well known by now, that you
probably know which group you fall into, the lovers or the haters. The
lovers will find this book a wonderful treat.

Personal Review: The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book (Kitchen
Sink Press Book for Back Bay Books) by R. Crumb
A generation ago, American poets such as Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell,
John Berryman, and Anne Sexton gave birth to a genre that's come to be
known as "confessional poetry." Their verse revealed intimate facts about
their lives that simply weren't spoken of in polite company: fears, phobias,
sexual hang-ups, pettiness, depression, suicidal tendencies. Some of their
work wound up being rather pathetic, more confessional than poetic. But
when it was good, it invited readers to face their own demons.
Robert Crumb, whom the art critic Robert Hughes has called the "Breughel
of the 20th century," is a confessional artist whose chosen genre is comics.
For 50-odd years (with the emphasis on "odd"!), R. Crumb has explored
his many identities and personae in thousands of sketches, drawings, and
paintings. The R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book is actually an
autobiography put together from a handful of the work Crumb has
produced over the years. It's interspersed with essays by Crumb on his
childhood, school days, the hippie scene in San Francisco, his marriages,
his "personal obsession with big women," his spiritual yearnings, and his
love of old music. Taken together, it's a fascinating portrait of a man who's
dared to explore some of his deepest and darkest places, and to do so (at
least sometimes) publicly.
Crumb believes that the pivotal moment in his personal and artistic life was
the period in the mid-60s to the early 70s when he dropped acid on a
regular basis. Although he sometimes worries that he might've fried his
brain, he also thinks that the LSD trips liberated his psyche and helped him
break through to new and deeper levels of creativity. The LSD was, he
tells us, his "road to Damascus."
Perhaps. It's true that Crumb's work has changed over the years--it's
become more brutally honest, more introspective, darker and at the same
time funnier. Perhaps the LSD had something to do with it (although,
personally, I quite dislike some of the work that comes from that period,
finding it rather flat and silly). But I suspect that the single greatest
influence on Crumb was his childhood and his family, especially his brother
Charlie, who seems to have been just as much a genius as Robert.
Crumb the man really is the child of Crumb the boy. The LSD may've
helped Crumb get in touch with the raw energy generated from those days.
Crumb has become notorious for the sexuality of some of his comics, and
has taken his share of political correct knocks. But The R. Crumb Coffee
Table Art Book makes clear that the bottom line of much of his art is his
existential need to explore and expose the shallowness and absurdity of
much of modern life. Above all, as he tells us (p. 247), he wants to tell the
truth, not only about himself but about us as well. Whether it's in the pages
of "Zap" or "Weirdo" comics, or in panels featuring Shuman the Human or
Mr. Natural, Crumb continuously questions racial, sexual, cultural, and

artistic conventions, pushing the envelope as far as it can go and
frequently causing readers discomfort. There's also a longing on Crumb's
part for deep meaning in a universe that appears crazy. This most often
reveals itself as nostalgia for bygone days (his love of "old" music, for
example), but also more explicitly as a yearning for a god that he can no
longer fully believe in and frequently mocks.
Reading R. Crumb is an intense experience. Like all good art, his stuff can
make one laugh with joy or send shivers down the spine. The R. Crumb
Coffee Table Art Book is a good place to start if you're just discovering
Crumb, and an equally good collection to help long-time admirers get
some idea of the big picture of Crumb's work and to better appreciate its
depth. It's also a good catalyst for getting in touch with one's own multiple
identities.
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